When the Mountain Calls
by gadzooks06
Summary: "Kili played with the ring on Fili's finger, twisting it around and around with his forefinger and thumb, and Fili gently ran his fingers through Kili's hair. The fire blazed above the hearth on that chilly summer's eve. Thorin began to hum, and soon everyone had joined in, and the King Under the Mountain began to sing. "
1. Early Years

"Mum? Why are you crying?" Fili sat up from his bedroll, Kili breathing softly next to him. Dis was attempting not to wake her sleeping sons with her weeping. She was clutching something against her chest and heaving her shoulders. Fili gingerly folded back his wool blankets and peeled the top layer off. He crawled over to his mother, draping the blanket over her shoulders.

"Your uncle has returned from Moria." Dis wiped at her eyes in an attempt to compose herself.

"Then why are you crying?" Fili asked, still puzzled as to why his mother was weeping in the dark. Fili lit a small lantern that illuminated one side of the tent they'd been living in as they migrated across middle-earth, trying to find another place to call home. Fili and his mother and brother all lived in this small tent while his father was away with Thorin. Dis slowly pried her hands from her breast and cupped her shaking fingers. Fili looked into his mother's palms. The Runestone she'd given to his father was caked with a rust-colored layer.

"Da isn't coming back from Moria, is he?" Fili deduced, his little heart falling deep into his woolen socks.

"No, he's not Love." Dis pulled her son close and blew out the lamp that burned their precious fuel. Fili clutched tight to his mother and bit down on the inside of his lip. After what seemed like the stars had come and gone again, Dis had cried all of her tears and drifted off into a dreamless sleep. Fili tucked his mother in with his blanket and kissed her forehead. He nestled back into his bedroll next to his little brother.

"What's wrong?" Kili whispered.

"Everything." Fili replied, and rolled over, covering his face with his blankets.

* * *

"Kili, leave me alone, I'm trying to read." Fili pushed Kili away with the palm of his hand

"Fee, you're always reading, come outside with me."

"Kili, I'm busy."

"Fine, then I'll go greet Uncle Thorin alone then." The younger brother said. Fili dropped his book.

"Thorin is back?" Fili said, forgetting about the pages and words he'd just been so focused on.

"Yeah. I bet you I can get to him faster." Kili taunted, scurrying out the door of the half-built cottage they and their uncle had been building for Dis. Fili jumped up from his spot on the floor and dashed past his brother and running up to their pony.

"Come on Daisy!" Fili kicked at her sides. The small horse knickered and started trotting. Fili squeezed his legs a little harder, and the cream-colored pony picked up her speed.

"No fair!" Kili shouted, his voice getting lost in the wind. Fili turned Daisy around and galloped towards his brother, stopping the horse just in front of him.

"We'll greet him together, okay?" Fili reached down a hand for Kili to grab. The younger brother clutched his brother's wrist and Fili pulled him up onto the pony. "Hold on to me tight. Don't let go Kee."

"Mhm." Kili wrapped his arms as best he could around his brother's middle and Fili charged the horse up the valley side.

"Hi Ori!" Kili shouted at the younger dwarf, who sat on his porch, scribbling something in his notebook.

"Where are you going?" The bashful dwarfling shouted back.

"Thorin's back!" Kili replied, turning his face back into his brother's shirt.

"Mama! Thorin's back!" Ori shouted, running inside his cottage, his adult brothers sitting at the table, they jumped up and ran after Fili and Kili, Ori trying to keep up. The princes of Durin were already over the hill and dashing down the steep face away from the valley. They spotted Thorin Oakensheild's pony, Minty, from leagues away, her caramel color giving her away in the blooming spring. Another pony foal was tethered to the back of her saddle, trotting happily behind.

"Come on Daisy, a little faster." Fili coached, pushing the filly faster and faster until they were only a few yards away from their uncle. "Whoa!" Fili tugged on the rope halter tethered across Daisy's muzzle. "Uncle!" Fili shouted with delight, hopping off the saddle and catching Kili as he slid from Daisy's back. They dashed up to Minty, reaching for Thorin's coats and pelts and tugged at the hems of his clothing.

Thorin smiled and dismounted, dropping to his knees to embrace his nephews. "It's good to see you boys." He said.

"You were gone for so long!" Kili squealed, wanting to keep the smell of coal and pine that covered Thorin around him for as long as possible.

"I had to forge swords for Rohan's fourteen sons! Even I can't make that many in a day!" Thorin chuckled, picking up both of his nephews and tucking them underneath his arms, making them squeal and flail gleefully. "I got my pay and came straight home."

"Does that mean we can work on the house?" Fili giggled.

"Of course!" Thorin laughed, placing Kili on top of Daisy, and Fili just behind him.

"I found a tar pit so we can thatch the roof!" Kili burst, dying to say something.

"Did you now? We'll have to get on that before I have to go again."

The princes faces fell. "You're leaving again?" Fili said, looking over his shoulder as Thorin mounted Minty once again.

"Not now, but in a few months time. I must travel up the Blue Mountains and touch base with a few old friends."

"Oh, okay." Fili gave his uncle a small smile. He squeezed Daisy's sides and she started walking back up towards the valley, where the entire populace was gathered at the lip, to see if Thorin Oakenshield had really returned.

"Kili." Thorin said, drawing his nephews attention away from braiding Daisy's mane. "See the pony behind Minty? That's Bungle, he's yours. A gift from Rohan"

"Really?" Kili said, perking up, his baby teeth all bared.

"Yes, really, now let's go see your mother." They rode up the hill, and down into the valley, where the dwarves bowed in respect, their king had finally returned after months and months of waiting.

Dis ran out to meet them, throwing herself at Thorin and grinning from ear to ear. "I'm so happy you've returned Khâzash."

"I'm glad to be back."

"Did the King pay you well?"

"I can feed this valley for two winters." Thorin replied and Dis squeezed him tighter.

"I have tea on the kettle, the boys have been counting down the days until you came back. They've missed you."

"And I them." Thorin looked over his shoulder at his heirs talking avidly to young Ori, their cousin many times removed. "Boys! I have a few surprises for you, come in when you're done!" Thorin called, stepping into the unframed doorway.

"Your uncle is the greatest!" Ori said, clutching his book against his chest.

"We know." The princes of Erebor said together, and ran after their mother and uncle, itching to know what Thorin had brought them this time.

"Show us! Show us!" Fili and Kili chanted as Thorin opened his rucksack.

"Since I already gave Kili Bungle out there, I think Fili should get this first." Thorin leaned out the window and whistled. A ear-piercing shriek was heard and a falcon flew from the trees and landed on Thorin's forearm.

"A hunting falcon?" Fili said, his eyes wide.

"Here, hold out your arm like a plank of wood." Thorin said, lifting Fili's elbow. The falcon hopped from one arm to the other, turning its head to look at Fili. The dwarf prince raised a finger and the falcon ducked, letting him stroke the feather on the back of his head.

"Does he have a name?" Fili asked, in awe of the gift.

"Falah." Thorin said, pulling a carved branch from his pack and placing it on the table. Falah flapped his wings once and perched on the branch, and proceeded to clean under his wing.

"Thank you Uncle." Fili sat backwards in his chair, stroking the bird's feathers.

"What else?" Kili said, jumping up and down with excitement. Thorin gently unwrapped a pair of wooden horses. He handed them to Kili, who could barely get his fingers around their middles.

"And these were the greatest thing I ate in Rohan."

"Food, Thorin?" Dis smiled, knowing whatever it was wasn't going to last long in this house.

Thorin pulled a leather bag the size of his head out of his sack and untied the drawstring. The smell of oats and molasses filled the house. Even Fili looked away from his falcon to get a whiff of the treat inside. The bag was filled with numerous biscuits, each about the size of his thumb. "These are awfully sweet, but very tough. They should give you enough energy to keep you going for a whole day on just one. It's no elvish bread, it's better." Each of the dwarves took one and snapped their teeth into it, licking their lips for more.

Thorin helped Fili build a perch for Falah outside, one that was tall and sturdy, so the bird could come and go as it pleased, and gave his heir a whistle to tie around his neck so he could summon the bird whenever he needed it.

When the sun had dipped below the walls of the valley, Thorin and Fili built a fire while Kili played with his wooden horses in the rug by the hearth. "Dis." Thorin said, holding out a box.

"A gift for me?" She smiled, wiping her hands on her apron. She opened the box to a necklace made of delicate silver chains and wooden charms. "Oh Thorin."

"I thought you would like it." He helped her clasp it around her neck.

"It's beautiful."

"Just like you."

"You tease."

"Maybe." He planted a sneaky kiss in her cheek and lit his pipe, settling into his favorite arm chair. "Kili, if I tell you a story, will you please take your hands out of the cookies?" Thorin said, watching his nephew take half a dozen biscuits from his pocket and cram them back into the jar, running up to his uncle and planted onto his lap. Fili was a bit too big for his Uncle's lap, but sat on a small tuffet by his knees.

"So, when I was in Rohan, I came in by pony, of course. but Rohan is a land of horses, and a Rohan horse is much larger than a pony, so when I got there, everyone was so much taller than I…" And the fire crackled as Thorin Oakensheild told the tale of how the King had originally thought the dwarf was a midget, and wanted the dwarf king to entertain him. The boys laughed until they cried and eventually fell asleep. Dis lifted Kili off of Thorin's chest and the dwarf king carried Fili into the boys bedroom, where they were tucked in, and given kisses goodnight.

"Goodnight Khazush."

"Goodnight Khâzash."

* * *

"Anchor your hand at your mouth." Thorin said, crouching down by Kili's side, "Pull your muscles tight with your drawing arm, and keep your other arm completely straight." Kili raised his bow like he'd done it a million times, but he'd just been gifted the recurve bow today and was holding it for the first time. "Aim for the middle of the target, don't forget to breathe, and release with your fingers." Kili pulled his fingers from the eagle feather fletching, and the arrow sailed, straight and true, through the center of the piece of paper with the bullseye. The shaft pierced through the back of the hay bale the target was held in front of.

"Like that?" Kili said, smiling up at his uncle.

Thorin was a little more than speechless. "Do it again." He said, looking at the shaft sticking from the hay. Kili frowned and drew another arrow from the leather quiver on his back. His form was that of a seasoned veteran, and the second arrow hit the center of the target, just to the right of the first.

"Was that better?" Kili asked.

"That's very good Kili, keep shooting." Thorin patted Kili's shoulder and walked over to where Fili stood in the middle of a sea of lost arrows. He drew back with a half shot and the arrow arched into the dirt. Fili sighed and went about pulling the arrows from the grass and putting them back into his quiver.

"Do what I told Kili." Thorin said, knowing Fili had listened the entire time Thorin was tutoring his younger nephew. Fili pulled back his arm, his fingers resting on his lips. His aiming arm was straight and rigid, he released the arrow. It completely missed the target and hit a tree behind the stack of hay bales.

"Aim Fili."

"Yes Uncle." Fili shot his dozen arrows again, and each time, he missed the target. With every shot he grew more and more frustrated with himself and his cheeks turned red with embarrassment in front of his uncle. Thorin sensed that Fili was not one for archery.

"Fili, come here." Thorin called from behind. "Kili, keep shooting." Kili nodded and Fili turned on his heel and marched to Thorin Oakensheild with his head down.

"I can't seem to get the hang of this." He admitted, staring at the scuffs on his boots.

"I have something else for you," Thorin said, putting a hand on Fili's shoulder and leading him towards the pony he had ridden into the meadow with that morning, surprising his nephews with bows and arrows. He dug around in his saddle bag until his hand found the bottom and he pulled out a package wrapped in simple burlap and tied with twine. Thorin held them out to Fili and the boy-dwarf took the heavy gift graciously, sinking down into the grass and untying the knots around the wrapping. He gently folded back the corners and peered at the contents. Two ornate wooden handles stuck from sharply angled swords.

"Two?" Fili asked, unsheathing a new blade. It had good weight and balance.

"I thought we could work on training you to fight with two swords, twice the Orcs you take down."

"Thank you uncle" Fili swung the blade in his right hand, and picked up the other and skillfully twirled the one in his left.

"See? Go practice." Thorin said, nudging Fili lightly with the toe of his boot.

In the next few hours, Thorin quietly imagined the two teenagers fighting with him in battle, while Kili hit the target almost every time, and Fili took the head off of a dummy with his left sword.

* * *

"Come on Kili! You're leaving gaps in your defense! Watch your sides!" Thorin Oakensheild coached from the rocks above his sparring nephews.

"Yeah Little Brother, watch your sides!" Fili antagonized, pushing Kili away with his swords. Kili shifted his weight and made the exposed area of his soft sides smaller. He swung his sword around in his hand, rolled his wrist, and attacked, charging straight for his brother. At the last second, ducked underneath Fili's swinging sword, rolled behind him and kicked out, sending his older brother into the grass. Kili bounced back up, placed a heavy boot on Fili's chest, and leaned down.

"I win." he grinned

"Good one, Little Brother." Fili laughed, pushing Kili's foot off of his coat and sticking out his arm for Kili to grab. The unbearded brother hauled his hairier sibling up from the ground, and Thorin smirked at his nephews, and blew smoke rings into the air.

"Very good Kili, you're improving." Thorin said, wishing he could tell his nephew how brilliant his combat skills were. "But you've also got to watch your own back." He noted, "If you were in a hand to hand combat war scenario, you'd be surrounded and have little space to roll, so be considerate of that." Kili nodded, he'd learned that criticism was the best thing to receive from Thorin, especially negative criticism, because it meant that the King Under the Mountain was really watching. Thorin puffed a cloud of blue smoke, "Fili." He said, honing in on his heir, "I've told you a thousand times, don't drop your defense because it's your brother, no mercy, no matter what."

"Yes uncle" Fili nodded, taking the comment to heart.

"Do it once more and you can be done." Thorin concluded, leaning back into the rocks he'd perched himself into. The brothers readied their weapons and the spar commenced. Fili noticed that Kili was becoming less and less aggressive as the fight continued, he wanted this to be over quickly so he could run off and eat. This made Fili a tad angry, he was trying to practice, this was important to him. Fili pictured his brother as an orc, or an Uruk-hai, and came at him, full force, swords raised. He swung out and barrelled over Kili. He paused, mid-turn, in preparation for his second attempt, and dropped his swords to the ground. Fili ran over to his groaning brother and apologized profusely.

"You bastard, you cut my arm." Kili moaned, a defeated smirk on his stubbly face.

"Sorry Kee." Fili's mouth pulled up a bit at the corners. He cradled an arm under Kili's head and helped him up by grabbing his good arm. Fili got his brother to sit up and pulled his favorite blue bandana from his pocket and pressed it against Kili's bleeding arm.

Kili tried to shrug off the pressure Fili was applying to his arm, not to get blood on his brother's bandana.

"But it's your-"

"Bandanas can be replaced." Fili said, tearing a strip of cloth from his own tunic and binding Kili's arm with it. "You can't."

* * *

**Hey Guys! This is my first real fanfic and I'd love to get some feedback on it! I'll be posting new chapters almost daily to every half day, so you won't have to wait too long before I completely run out of ideas!**


	2. To the Shire and Beyond

Promise me you'll look after Kili." Dis said, tying off Fili's last braid with a hand carved wooden bead.

"I promise Mum." Fili turned about, laying a fuzzy kiss on her cheek.

"Make your Uncle proud."

"I promise not to dishonor Thror's line."

"You couldn't dishonor your line, even if you tried." Dis hugged her grown son. "I love you Fili."

"I love you too Mum."

Dis kissed Fili's forehead and they left the small cottage the brothers had built with Thorin for their mother to find Kili, just finishing the lashing down of the packs on the back of his pony. "You just have to tighten the girth on yours." Kili said over his shoulder. He didn't want his mother to see his distress at leaving her and his home.

"Kili" Dis purred. The younger dwarf turned around. "Come here, Love." Dis held out her arms to him. Kili ran into them, burying his face in her soft hair. Fili wandered off to finish tying up his horse.

"I don't know how to feel Mum. I'm excited to go, but it'll be the farthest I've ever been away from home." He said into her neck.

"Once you see that mountain, you'll forget all about this little valley." Dis held his scruffy face in his hands. "Be careful." She said, pressing something cold and smooth into his palm. "Promise to come back." She said, thinking of her late husband.

"I promise."

"Promise me you won't do anything reckless."

"I can't promise that Mum."

"Promise to try."

Kili looked down at the runestone in his hand. "I promise."

"Kili! Let's go!" Fili shouted, swinging over and onto Daisy II's back.

"Fairwell Mum." Kili smiled. Dis kissed his forehead and he ran up to Bungle and hoisted himself into the saddle .

"Remember your promises!" Dis called, wrapping her shawl tighter around herself.

The sons nodded. "Ready?" Fili asked, grasping the reins loosely in his hands.

"As I'll ever be." Kili exhaled. Fili clucked his tongue and his pony started forwards in the direction of Hobbiton. Kili looked over his shoulder to his mother. The dwarf princess waved him on. Kili tucked his promise into his pocket and squeezed his pony's sides, sending him cantering after his brother on their adventure.

"Remember your promises." Dis said again, once her boys had disappeared over the lip of the valley and as far away from her as they'd ever been.

* * *

"Where is this damn place?" Kili huffed, looking around the dimly lit meadow village of the Shire.

"Look for the mark that Thorin gave us from Gandalf." Fili said, holding out a piece of paper out to his brother.

"Yes, Fili, because I can read in the dark." Kili snapped, his hunger giving him a temper he normally wouldn't have.

"Oh hush." Fili said, aware of how nippy his brother could get when he was unbearably hungry, recalling the scar behind his ear. "The mark is supposed to glow blue."

"Like that?" Kili pointed to a round, green door at the top of the hill.

"Yes, like that." Fili confirmed, folding up the piece of paper and pushing it deep into his pocket with bits of string and a few raisins.

"Race you!" Kili shouted, kicking at his pony's side and bolting up the hill, leaving all negativity behind him.

"Kili! Kili be quiet!" Fili chuckled, clucking his tongue and galloping after his brother, disturbing many a dining hobbit with their ruckus during supper.

"I'm so hungry, I could eat an entire dragon." Kili exaggerated, slowing his pony's gait as they approached the marked door. They saw two other ponies tethered to the fence outside already and decided to let their ponies have a supper of their own and ung nose bags from the ponies halters after they dismounted.

"I wonder if one of these ponies is Uncle's." Fili thought aloud.

"I hope so, he's been gone for months, headed up north for a gathering of our kin." Kili added his hope to Fili's wondering. They tied their ponies and strode up to the door, shoulder to shoulder.

"Should I knock? Or do you want to-" Fili was cut off by Kili's knuckles rapping on the door. "Alright then," Fili smiled, mustling Kili's hair. A frazzled looking hobbit opened the door. "Fili"

"And Kili"

"At your service" They said in unison, peeling back their hoods and bowing at the waist.

"At yours and your family's. Thank you, but I'm not interested in what you're selling" The hobbit attempted to close the door in their faces. Kili stuck his boot into the door, and pushed the door and the hobbit back. They spoke briefly with the halfling, the meeting hadn't been cancelled, thank Thror. Fili dumped their weapons into their gracious host's arms and Kili wiped off his mud-encrusted boots at the door, looking curiously around the hobbit-hole. They were delighted and in awe to see Balin and Dwalin again after so long and were quick to lift tables and chairs into the dining room for them.

"How many of us will their be?" Fili asked Balin as he settled down into a comfortable seat next to Kili, who was stuffing his pipe with tobacco. "Wait until after dinner." Fili nudged his shoulder. Kili bashfully tucked his pipe back into his belt and Balin finished counting on his fingers.

"There will be thirteen of us, if everyone arrives." Balin listed the names of their travelling companions, once again referring to his fingers. The young dwarves grinned, it seemed everyone they knew was coming on this journey to reclaim Erebor. After another few minutes, the hobbit-hole was filled with twelve dwarves and a wizard. Kili and Fili were in awe of the bearded Istari. This was the Gandalf the Grey, probably their greatest asset on this adventure to the Lonely Mountain. The much too tall wizard wondered where the leader of their company might be and Dwalin confirmed the boys thoughts about the meeting, and that Thorin was just running late.

The Dining room was filled with food from the hobbit's pantry. Fine meats and pastries were strewn about the table and everyone laughed heartily and drank their fill. Food was flung and eggs were tossed across its length an into Bombur's mouth. The dwarves cheered as the fat ginger caught the hard-boiled egg with his mouth. Fili walked across the runner, handing out ales and returning to the seat next to his brother, who was feeling much better now that he'd eaten. Mr. Baggins was panicking, he stepped out into the hall with Gandalf and seemed to be yelling. As a gesture to show Bilbo that they didn't just come to make a mess, Fili rallied the company to clean and stack the hobbit's diningware. Kili finally got to smoke his pipe and the group migrated into the sitting room, puffing smoke of blues and greens. A large, purposeful knock came at the door. Fili and Kili's heads snapped up. Kili went to jump from his spot on the arm of the sofa, but Fili placed a hand on his knee. "Let's go get our instruments." He suggested. Kili nodded in agreement at the ida and once they'd heard Thorin's heavy footfalls pass the sitting room, they quietly grabbed their fiddles from their bags.

Upon returning, they sat themselves down on the rug and tuned their strings. Dori, Nori, and Ori produced flutes from their coat sleeves, Bombur pulled a drum out of his bag, and his brother and cousin revealed their clarinets. Balin and Dwalin beat the boys in retrieving Thorin's harp from outside, along with their viols. By the time Thorin Oakensheild entered the sitting room, all of the dwarves were ready to play for him. Balin handed the King his harp and Thorin's nephews raised their bows. They started in on a an upbeat song their mother sang to them as children whenever they were restless or couldn't find dreams to relieve their tossing and turning.

_May your chests be filled with precious gold_

_And your beard grow longer as you grow old_

_May all your stories forever be told_

_So only the stars can break the mold_

_Fiddley-O! Fiddle-dee-dum!_

_Fiddley-E-O! Fiddle-dee-doe!_

_So only the stars can break the mold_

_May your brothers be strong_

_And your Da never wrong_

_May your mother's song_

_be sweet and long_

_Fiddley-O! Fiddle-dee-dum!_

_Fiddley-E-O! Fiddle-dee-doe!_

_May your mother's song_

_be sweet and long_

_May you find a maiden with long flaxen hair_

_And skin made of cream that always stays fair_

_May she fill your days with love and care_

_So that you smile and tears never dare_

_Fiddley-O! Fiddle-dee-dum!_

_Fiddley-E-O! Fiddle-dee-doe!_

_So that you smile and tears never dare_

_May the sunshine dance across your face_

_And arms hold you with warm embrace_

_No matter the problem no matter the case_

_May spirits lend you their charms and their grace_

_Fiddley-O! Fiddle-dee-dum!_

_Fiddley-E-O! Fiddle-dee-doe!_

_May spirits lend you their charm and their grace_

The dwarves sighed happily and Thorin unwrapped his golden harp and began to pluck away. Kili put his fiddle in his lap and leaned back onto Fili. Fili draped his wrist over Kili's shoulder and closed his eyes, letting the strumming of the harp take him back to days of sunshine and a warm fire during long winter days. Kili played with the ring on Fili's finger, twisting it around and around with his forefinger and thumb, and Fili gently ran his fingers through Kili's hair. The fire blazed above the hearth on that chilly summer's eve. Thorin began to hum, and soon everyone had joined in, and the King Under the Mountain began to sing. It was a song is nephews knew too well and listened serenely as they heard it with a dozen voices humming and singing. Fili mouthed the words while Kili hummed along, still twisting his brother's ring.

* * *

"The Lonely Mountain" The hobbit read off the map. Kili grabbed Fili's sleeve in excitement. The journey ahead would be perilous, and as Thorin said, some may not return. But, nonetheless, the two brothers were ecstatic to be going, regardless of the danger. They were fighters, not one warg would get past them. Thorin and Mr. Baggins lightly discussed the journey before Balin handed Bilbo the contract. Kili recoiled, too much reading for his tastes. Fili picked underneath his nails and listened to the hobbit mumble as he read through the length of paper, he seemed a bit frightened at the possible demises he might face and Bofur wasn't particularly helping on the dragon front. Bilbo dropped the contract and fell to the carpet in the hall. Thorin rolled his eyes and looked at Kili and Fili expectantly. They jumped up from the table and carried the hobbit into his bedroom.

"Why do I always have to take the feet?" Kili asked, pulling the blanket up of the unconscious hobbit, not wishing to see his hairy feet any more than he had to.

"You're the youngest, that's why."

* * *

When most of the candles were blown out, and the rest of the dwarves lounged about the hobbit-hole, finding the perfect place to sleep. Fili and Kili put the stacked plates into the cupboards and cleaned up underneath the table. By the time they were done, all of the comfortable spots had been taken. Every room, sofa, and armchair was filled with a snoozing dwarf. Fili found a few spare blankets and laid them down on the floor, just outside Thorin's room, where he was humming to himself. The brothers pulled the heavy covers over them.

"Just like camping? right Fili?"

"Just like camping, Little Brother."

"Goodnight Fili."

"Goodnight Kili."

And they fell asleep, their noses barely touching.

* * *

In the morning, Fili shook Kili awake.

"What time is it?" The younger brother groggily yawned.

"A little after dawn." Fili whispered, "I thought we could make breakfast for the company before we set out."

"Good idea," replied Kili, rolling out of the blanket nest. They folded their borrowed blankets and placed them in a neat stack on a trunk in the hall. They silently padded through the hobbit-hole and into the kitchen, quietly clinking pans and skillets. Eggs and bacon hissed on the stove and once the wafting aroma of food cooking reach their noses, the other dwarves awoke and began boiling water for morning coffee and tea. At last, everyone was awake, slightly dizzy from the night before. Thorin somehow managed to step out of his bedchamber like a fresh spring daisy, his beard and hair combed and braided. Fili ran his hand through his own blonde mane, and winced as his fingers encountered many knots on the way down.

"Is that thick slab bacon?" Bombur enquired, nosing over the skillet. Kili tried to get the ginger away from his while he was cooking by rolling his shoulders, but Bombur wasn't moving.

"It's for everyone, hands off." With that, Kili struck Bombur's fat fingers with a small wooden spoon. Thorin lounged at the head of the table, twisting hairs from his beard between his fingers.

"Here Uncle, fried eggs, unbroken and pan-fried ham." Kili placed the dish before the king. "Perfect for the beginning of a journey." He added with a youthful smile, and watched Thorin scoop up a mouthful with his fork. His face made no change, not even an eye-twinkle at his favorite breakfast. Kili turned away and went back to fending off Bombur from the bacon.

"Did he like it?" Fili asked out of Thorin's earshot. The blonde's own ears were exposed, since his hair was pulled back with a loop of string.

"As much as he usually does." Kili replied, piling food onto his plate and sitting two seats down from his uncle. The hobbit was still fast asleep in his bedroom and the dwarves quickly dined and packed whatever else was in the pantry. Since Mr. Baggins declined his burlar position, he would have plenty of time to restock his stores. By the time they left, the hobbit-hole smelt like grease and burnt toast. Thorin left the contract, his elegant scrawl signed at the bottom, just above Dwalin and Balin's own signatures, leaving only the space for the burglar to sign on the dining room table, just in case Bilbo changed his mind.

"He won't" Thorin growled, glaring at Gandalf and striding out the door. The company left the shire with full bellies, and one less burglar than expected.


	3. Trolls and The Thunder Battle

Fili sighed, tossing Kili a pouch of silver coins. "I told you he'd come." Kili chuckled, tucking the purse into his pocket. Thorin was peeved, to say the least. Now he had to redistribute the luggage from one riderless pony to the rest of the ponies. Kili chased Fili through the glades and they rode, leg to leg, when they could, through the trails leading out of Hobbitton and into the Wild. Everything was new and exciting to the young brothers who'd never travelled much out of their own little valley where they'd grown up. They rode near the back of the line, not to keep the rest of the group from idling while they oogled at the landscape. by the end of the first week, nothing had dampened Kili and Fili's good moods. They were as chipper as they had been the day they'd set off, even though the nights often gifted them with slightly stiff backs the next morning. They slept in the same way they had slept on the floor at Bag-End, back to back, face to face, or a pair of feet and a head at one end, and the opposite on the other. Neither slept until the other was done with his watch. They kept each other company and made sure the fire still kept the lads warm. Occasionally, Kili would nod off during his watch and Fili would take over his shift, as well as his own, not to wake his exhausted little brother. On this particular night however, they only had to watch the ponies. Every few minutes, they'd walk around, counting all sixteen and plopping themselves back down, facing in the general direction of the fire, which was pretty far off.

"'Shame Gandalf left." Kili said, drinking ale from a bottle and handing it over to Fili.

"I hope he comes back soon, these mountains give me the creepy-crawlies." Fili took a swing from the bottle and putting it down in the moss under the log they were perched upon. A sound that reminded them of angry geese made them cringe and look over their shoulders in time to see a large tree topple over.

"What was that?" Kili asked, hoping his brother had caught something he hadn't.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Replied Fili, swing his leg over the log. "Check the ponies. They ran around the small grassy area and counted only fourteen.

"Thorin is going to kill us if we don't find them." Fili ran a nervous hand through his hair.

"Or send us home."

They both shuddered at the idea and the ever quiet Mr. Baggins walked right through gap between the brother's shoulders. Fili tapped Kili's shoulder and looked down at the hobbit. Now they had a plan: send the hobbit after whatever had taken Daisy and Bungle, and take them back. The brother's pushed the hobbit forwards, explaining their predicament. At the mention of telling Thorin, Fili shook his head. "No, let's not worry him." Fili walked around the fallen tree and spotted a fire flickering just down the way.

"What is it?" Asked Bilbo.

"Trolls" Kili sneered.

Fili lead the way through the brush until they got close enough to see the rest of the Troll's fire, they all ducked as they heard a snapping branch, that soon became shuddering and breaking limbs and brush as a Troll passed through the trees. They stuck their noses over their hiding spot behind the log and saw a thirteen foot beast carrying Myrtle under one arm, and Minty under the other.

"I think they're going to eat them, we have to do something." The hobbit hissed.

"Yes." Said Kili, "You should."

"What? Me?" The hobbit started at him in disbelief.

"Mountain Trolls are slow and stupid, and you're so small, they'll never see you, it's perfectly safe." Kili tried to explain, whilst trying to make himself believe in what he was saying. They took the bowls from Bilbo's hand so he could freely move about the troll camp.

"If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl, and once like a brown owl." Fili added, and they pushed the hobbit over the thick tree roots towards the troll camp, and ran to get their swords from their original watch spot. They snuck back just in time to see one of the trolls grab Bilbo around the middle of his waistcoat.

Kili shoved Fili towards the camp, "Go get Thorin!" he hissed, then turned and sprinted through the vines and prickers, his sword unsheathed. "Drop him!" Kili shouted. The trolls were over three times his size, and had clubs by their sides. Kili hacked at the back of the troll, Bert's leg. "I said 'DROP HIM!'" Kili roared, and the sounds of another dozen dwarves behind him gave him a confidence boost and Kili began to slash and stab for his life. Shouts and the sound of metal slicing through flesh filled his ears and he was finally in the perfect hand-to hand combat situation that was very different than anything he and Fili had ever practiced. But, he was armed to the teeth and his brother was watching his back. Only Bilbo's terrified squeak stopped Kili from taking off a few troll toes. A hand grabbed him by the hood and he was pulled back into the ranks, still jumping to kill a troll. Thorin tossed his sword down in defeat, and Kili looked at him, then back to Bilbo and the trolls and cast his sword to the mossy floor of the clearing in an adrenaline rage.

Even as Kili was picked up and stuffed into a sack, he couldn't help but latch onto one of the troll's fingers with his teeth to warn the troll he meant business. He thrashed and clawed at the thick burlap cocoon, desperately attempting to get to Fili, who was tied to the spit, rotating over the fire. Bilbo was running his mouth, failing to persuade the trolls to let them go.

"They're all infected! I honestly wouldn't take the chance if I were you." he concluded.

"Did he say parasites?" Oin asked Kili

"He did! I don't have parasites! You've got parasites!" He shouted angrily at Bilbo. He felt a swift kick in the neck from Thorin. He looked up at his uncle, who glared at him. Then he understood, and began another round of shouting from the other side of the argument. "I've got parasites! I've got huge parasites!"

"My parasites are bigger than everyone's put together!" Yelped Fili, who was sweating profusely over the fire. A booming voice filled the clearing and sunlight flashed into their eyes. The trolls screeched and their skin crackled back into the stone from which they'd been born.

* * *

"What you did was stupid and foolish and you almost got everyone killed!" Thorin shouted. Fili and Kili looked down at the dirt. "It was my folly to think that you could handle this journey and I have half a mind to send you home!"

"Uncle, we were just doing what you asked us. We didn't know there were trolls nearby!" Kili argued, lifting his head in an act of defiance. Fili punched his side.

"But you sent the hobbit in alone!" Thorin roared, making the brothers cringe.

"He's a burglar! It's his job to take things back!" Kili shouted back. Fili's eyes grew wide with shock at his brother's gumption. Thorin raised a hand and Kili flinched, cowering back into his brother. Thorin looked at his arm, then back a Kili, and slowly lowered his open palm.

"You should have come to me as soon as there was a problem." He said a little quieter.

"We're sorry Uncle, we'll be more careful next time." Fili said after a moment, "It there is a next time." he thought.

"Kili" Thorin said, ignoring Fili's comment. "Go find the escaped ponies." Kili ran off, Fili turning to follow him. Thorin stopped him at the shoulder.

"Keep an eye on him, if anything goes wrong from now on, tell me first and we'll deal with it as a whole." Thorin said, trying to sound apologetic for scaring them. Fili swallowed and nodded.

"Yes Uncle."

"I will send him home if I must."

"I understand." Fili said, fearing the possibility of his brother travelling home alone, and being without him. "I'll watch him." Thorin patted Fili's shoulder.

"Good lad, you fought well today." Thorin's face remained stoic, "Now go help your brother." Fili did as he was told, wondering how his uncle would nearly strike Kili one moment, and speak tenderly to him the next.

* * *

The next few weeks were a blur. Gandalf had returned and they'd traversed the wastelands, slowly running out of food. The days were longer and hotter, and the nights seemed twice as long in the cold. Gandalf suggested that they seek help in Rivendell. Thorin didn't want to find refuge with the elves, and constantly came up with excuses for the company not to head into Elrond's realm. The wizard finally put his foot down and demanded they head to Rivendell immediately, if not sooner. Thorin was done arguing with the old man and let the wizard lead the way to the elves. Next thing the brothers knew, they were being charged at my elves on horseback and closing ranks around the hobbit. The younger heirs of Durin didn't mind the elves, in fact, Kili and Fili found them rather amusing, despite the fact that their father had died in the battle the elves refused to aid the dwarves in. The fair creatures gave them a place to dine, of which they did plenty of, and Bofur lead the company in song after Kili mistook a he-elf for a she-elf. The song was no elf music, but it was an upbeat tune that made even Thorin crack a smile. When the dwarves finally stumbled off to bed, each was given their own bedroom.

Fili hadn't been able to sleep in this strange place. Something was different, something was missing. Sometime late in the night, he felt the air in his room change, and wrapped his fingers around the knife he'd put under his pillow. "My room was cold." he heard Kili say, and his brother rustled under the covers. Fili released the knife and nestled in, pulling the blankets up over himself and his brother.

"Night Fili."

"Night Kili." And now Fili could sleep. The smell of the forest that covered his brother was what he needed. No. He needed his brother by his side.

"KILI! Kili grab my hand!" Fili screamed, extending his arm as far as he could for his brother who stood on the other ledge of the rock giant's leg.

"Fili No!" Bofur grabbed him around the middle to keep him from jumping the impossible gap between the two. Kili gulped, the rain and distance made it difficult to see if his brother was still standing on the other side. A hand grabbed Kili's collar and pulled him back from the edge. He couldn't tell who it was for the pissing rain.

"Let's keep moving! Balin shouted, clinging onto the young dwarf and the rocks that lay ahead. They kept their footing as the thunder battle commenced, running onto a safer ledge away from the others. The giant's other leg swung in front of them, headed for the sharp mountain face just ahead of Thorin. The leg and the other half of the company smashed onto a protrusion.

"No!" Thorin screamed, watching rocks tumble down into the abyss below, and his own kin lost.

Kili wouldn't believe it, he refused to believe his brother was headed down into the dark, never to be seen by him again. He pushed passed the other dwarves until he was shoulder to shoulder with Thorin, and squeezed between his uncle and the mountain, hoping by a silver thread that his brother would still be alive. "Fili." Kili breathed, running to his brother who was laying across a few of the other lads and throwing himself on top of him. "Don't scare me like that!" He sobbed, burrowing his face into Fili's coat. "Never leave me again!" tears fell freely from his eyes, even though the rain mixed with them to make it look like they were a bit puffy and red.. Fili wrapped his arms around his little brother and tried to make sense of the last five minutes. He took a few shaky breaths, pressing his chin against the top of Kili's hair.

"It's okay little brother. Shh. It's alright, I'm here, safe and sound." And all the separated brothers and cousins held each other, hoping that they'd never have to do so again under such circumstances. Thorin even sunk down to his knees to embrace his nephews.

"Oi! Where's Bilbo?" Bofur said, his hat spewing water like a leaky gutter.

"Down here!" The desperate hobbit squeaked. Thorin released his kin and strode towards the problem in question. The dwarves fumbled with little to no success at getting the hobbit off of the ledge. Thorin sighed heavily and spotted a foothold to where he could jump. He swung himself onto the rocky shelf and pushed the burglar up into the safety of the company at the price of his own footing and slipped, just barely catching himself on the path where the company stood. Dwalin and a few others pulled their king from danger. Without missing a beat, Thorin threw his hair back and grunted at the hobbit.

"We must find shelter so Mr. Baggins does not get lost again. Even though he's been lost since he left his hole in the ground." Thorin huffed and lead the way through the rest of the mountain pass, finally coming upon the cave they'd be sleeping in. Kili clung to Fili as a moth does to light, not only because he didn't want to risk losing his elder brother anytime soon, but for the heat. Thorin refused to let Oin and Gloin light a fire, so body heat was the only source of warmth. They peeled off their soaked pelts and changed their socks, and nestled underneath the thick woolen blankets that had, by some miracle, stayed dry.


	4. A Bit of Rain Over the Misty Mountains

Fili tossed and turned, in his dream the floor was falling out from underneath him, he had no control. He was falling, removed from the light, but he never hit the bottom. He fell until all he could see was darkness, and then he woke up and the floor was falling. Goblins were everywhere, they filled the air, and even the ground seemed to be crawling with them. They tore at the weapons on their backs and sang their horrific songs, clawing and scratching at them with their vile nails and teeth. They tried to fight against the bony arms and fingers, but they found the sheer number of goblins was impossible to consider fighting, and their arms were lashed together much to tightly with crude rope. Kili couldn't even find his brother's golden hair in the rain of flesh that came down upon them with sticks and stones, forcing some to their knees. They were pushed and prodded in every place imaginable until they came into the largest cavern that the Misty Mountains held. The Great Goblin descended from his throne, constructed of skulls and femurs. One of the smaller goblins explained how the dwarves had come to be in the goblin's realm and the Great Goblin ordered that the strangers be searched. Blades and axes clattered to the ground before the company.

"What are you doing in these parts?" The goblin king inquired, his crown of bone tilting slightly on his bald head. Not even Kili would make a peep. The Great Goblin turned to the rest of his subjects. "Fine! If they don't talk, we'll make them squawk!" The giblins roared in delight. "Bring out the Mangler! Bring out the Bone-breaker!" The sound was deafening. "Start with the youngest!" The dwarves closed in protectively around Ori. Fili pulled a small knife from a hidden pocket in his trousers and sawed through the rope around his wrists.

"Wait!" Thorin roared and stepped forward, grabbed Fili's knife and quickly sliced through his bonds in one motion. He skillfully tucked the knife underneath the thick animal pelt that was draped over his mighty shoulders.

"Well well well!" The Great Goblin wheezed, "If it isn't Thorin Oakensheild, son of Thrain, son of Thror! King Under the Mountain." The goblin king bowed in mock respect. "Oh, but I forgot, you don't have a mountain, and you're not a king, which makes you...nobody really." He snickered. Kili angrily writhed against his bonds, how dare he insult the line of Durin. Kili's attention returned to the conversation when the Great Goblin gurgled about the pale Orc. The taboo had been broken on the name of the creature that gave Kili nightmares as a child.

"Azog the Defiler was destroyed. He was slain in battle long ago." Thorin growled, rage and fear building up inside of him.

"But Bolg still asks for your head… Just your head, of course, nothing attached." The goblin King cackled, pushing Thorin back with a fat finger. Glaring at the Great Goblin, Thorin pressed the knife that'd been tucked against his shoulder into Gloin's hand and it was discreetly passed around until he got back to Fili, and slipped it into a different pocket. The stomping and chanting continued as the goblins rolled massive implements of destruction past them. A single goblin picked up Orchrist and unsheathed it. The blade began to ring and the massive goblin under the crown recoiled. "I know that sword! It's the Goblin Cleaver! The Biter!" He shrieked. "Kill them! Kill them all!" The dwarves were beat upon by chains, whips, and stones. Thorin was taken down by half a dozen goblins and suddenly, a violent flash of light shocked and killed dozens of goblins. The energy from the blast blew out most of the dim torches, making the cavern almost silent, and dark as pitch.

"Take up arms." Gandalf rasped. "Fight! FIGHT!" The dwarves jumped to action, gathering their weapons and proceeding to hack and slash through the rain of goblins that leapt from the scaffolding. Kili barely missed an arrow to the forehead as the torches were slowly being relit.

The company sailed across gaps and pounded over plank bridges, hacking and slashing at ropes and following Gandalf through the tunnels. The Great Goblin dropped from above and blocked their path. Gandalf gutted the creature and the horrendous beast plummeted from the bridge. They slipped and slid their way through the tunnels, falling over each other when the passages were too narrow. Fili squinted his eyes, trying to spy a glimmer of anything other than darkness. There was a single beacon in his sight. "Oi! Light! There's Light down that corridor!" He jumped up, pointed as best as he could and pushed forward to lead the group out of the mountain caverns. The light came from the dying sun being pulled under the horizon line. A door and a handful of goblins were between them and fresh air. "Go! Go! Go!" Fili shouted, charging at the goblins, Dwalin, Nori, and Gloin just behind him. The rest of the company rushed through the heavy doors, which wouldn't open another inch, causing bombur to get stuck in the narrow gap. Bifur and Kili pushed forcefully until the fat dwarf tumbled from the doorway and rolled down the hill after Balin and Dori. Fili rendered the last goblin's head from its shoulders and Thorin shoved him ahead, letting him run after his brother. Thorin peered over his shoulder and heard dozens upon dozens of goblins coming down the tunnel, their torches' flames licking at the walls. Thorin dashed after his company, right past Kili, who'd ducked behind a rock with his bowstring pulled tight, ready to fire upon the first goblin to come into his sight.

"Kili!" Thorin shouted, not turning back. Kili fire his arrow into the doorway and sprinted after his uncle. He passed Ori, Dori, Nori, and Bombur whilst in his mad dash to reach his brother. He eventually caught up to Fili and they ran for as long and as hard as they could until Gandalf said they could rest. Kili leaned over and put his hands on his knees, taking deep inhales and wheezing slightly on the exhale. He coughed and smiled, leaning against his brother's shoulder.

"Where's Bilbo?" Gandalf asked himself aloud, having counted all of the dwarves. "Where is our hobbit?" He barked. Kili and Fili looked about, not seeing Mr. Baggins anywhere.

"Curse the halfling! Now he's lost?!" Dwalin grunted, pulling at the straps of leather strung across his chest.

"I thought he was with Dori!" Gloin exclaimed.

"Don't blame me!" Dori squeaked.

"Well, where did you last see him?" Gandalf cut off their silly quibbling.

"I think I saw him slip away when they first collared us." Nori piped up.

"What happened exactly? Tell me!" Gandalf rushed at the poor dwarf.

"I'll tell you what happened." Thorin said with scorn, "Master Baggins saw his chance, and he took it! He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door!" Thorin sat down on a boulder, defeat and betrayal pressing down on his shoulders. "We will not be seeing our hobbit again. He is long gone." The tired king rubbed his chin with a grimy hand.

"No, he isn't."

Kili and Fili smiled. Bilbo had appeared from seemingly nowhere.

"Bilbo, we'd given up on you!" Kili grinned.

"How on Earth did you manage to escape?" Fili tilted his head curiously, in total awe of the silent hobbit.

"Doesn't matter, only thing that does is that I'm here now to help you."

"It matters." Thorin said, approaching the hobbit with his head raised, glaring down at the halfling.

And in the few moments that the hobbit spoke, Kili and Fili gained a newfound level of respect for Master Baggins, and resisted the urge to clap after Bilbo was done and Thorin turned away.

* * *

"Where is Thorin?" Kili said, trying to see through the mist. The two heirs of Erebor looked about, peering through the fog that was whisped away when the eagles flapped their tremendous wings. Fili clenched his brother's sleeve.

"Thorin!" He screamed, seeing his beaten and broken uncle being cradled by and eagle's scaly talons.

"He can't hear you Fili." Kili choked. The hits had kept coming after they'd escaped from the tunnels. First the Wargs came, followed by the Goblins and the Orcs, lead by Bolg, the Pale Orc's son. The fire came next, followed by the trees toppling over with the company still very much alive inside. Bilbo had saved Thorin from Bolg and his followers and the boys charged into battle for their uncle, not for last time. Kili had tried not to scream as he ran through the fire and spilled Orc blood, swinging and watching his brother's back. It was the most frightened he'd ever been, like he was running into his worst nightmare from which there was no awakening. The Eagles landed on a stone-capped hill called the Carrock. The company stood back as Gandalf knelt over their leader. Fili's legs felt like jelly and he had to sink to his knees to keep himself from collapsing completely. Kili laid a hand on his brother's shoulder, but craned his neck to see. He needed to be sure if Thorin was alright. If he wasn't, he needed to say good-bye. Kili stepped away from his brother and wedged through the group.

"The halfing?" He heard Thorin say to Gandalf. Kili and Dwalin rushed to help him stand. Thorin shrugged off their help, set on reaching the hobbit, as if to grab him by the throat and throttle him. Kili didn't wish to see such things and burrowed back through the lads and made his way back to his brother who shakily stood. Fili's vision was blurred for the tears of relief. He released a shuddering sigh and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Durin's bollocks." Kili groaned, watching as Thorin cornered the hobbit.

"You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed!" Thorin snapped smokily. He slowly advanced on the pseudo-burglar until they stood, chest to chest. "Did I not say that you would be a burden? That you would not survive in the wild and that you had no place amongst us?" The king wasn't sure where he was going with this, but the look on the poor hobbit's face made him upset. He grabbed the hobbit and embraced him deeply, "I have never been so wrong in all my life!" Thorin smiled, finally able to apologize and commend the hobbit on his immense courage and loyalty to their mission. "I'm sorry I doubted you." he said.

"No, I would have doubted me too." The two unlikely friends stepped away from each other. "I'm not a hero or a warrior...not even a burglar." Bilbo said and everyone chuckled. The eagles soared away over head, the Eagle king leading the way. "Is that what I think it is?" The hobbit inquired, squinting at the horizon. It was Erebor. Thorin strode to the edge of the Carrock and grinned, putting an arm over Bilbo's shoulders.

"Our home." Thorin sighed contently, unable to wipe the foolish smile from his face. Fili turned his head and caught the back of his brother's coat as Kili leaned over the edge of the bear-shaped hill, feeling the wind comb his hair and his journey shape his heart.

* * *

"How in Durin's name are we supposed to get down?" Dwalin grunted, looking around.

* * *

Leaning on his nephews, Thorin limped down the Carrock, the sight of his mountain giving him hope and strength to endure whatever was thrown at him and his men. "We need to find shelter and supplies: food, water, weapons, the essentials." Thorin listed, hobbling down the steep steps and wincing as his foot sank into the soft dirt around the rocky hill.

"I know of a place a few days journey from here in the direction of the Lonely Mountain, it may be a tad difficult to find, but we should be able to make it in three days if we make haste. After that, I must be leaving for another journey." The other dwarves made a fuss wondering where the wizard was gallivanting off to.

"Lead the way Gandalf." Thorin said, cutting off the useless chatter from behind him. He was temporarily relinquishing power of direction to the wizard while he healed, but made no mistake to make sure that everyone knew he was very much in charge. "Boys, you don't have to carry me all the way there." The dwarf king shrugged his nephews from him, not wanting to burden them when they could be doing more important things. He took his first independent step, stumbled and winced, the young princes grabbed him back up.

"Nope." Said Kili

"Definitely not." Agreed Fili. Thorin made a noise in the back of his throat and let them help.

"This is kind of like escorting those merchants through the Southern Hills a couple years back." Kili noted, stepping over a large stone shaped like a potato.

"Yes, but we were carrying old women on our backs across a river, with the old women holding their baskets of goods above their heads." Fili scoffed affectionately.

"I think carrying the goat was my favorite part; the damn thing pissed right down my collar. I soaked it's furry little drumsticks for that. Bastard goat…" Kili frowned and Thorin chuckled heartily, blanching as his ribs shifted.

"Did you see a fire-moon on that journey?" He asked after a moment of biting his lip. He could faintly recall just falling asleep as they had told their mother the story of their adventure.

"Aye." Fili smirked. "It was red and golden, like a freshly minted coin."

"You should have been their, Uncle, it filled the sky with light, we didn't even need lanterns to see." Kili added, squinting as the sun rose higher and higher over yonder hills.

"I would have very much liked to have been there." Thorin admitted, and after that, was silent, just focusing on putting one foot in front of the other.

"Let us rest" Said Gandalf at around noon, plopping himself down on a stone. The dwarves did the same, and Kili removed his coat to put behind Thorin's head as he leaned against a boulder.

"I'm going to see if I can find any hares, maybe we can actually eat some real meat." Kili said, stringing his quiver and bow across his chest.

"I'd hardly call it meat, Kili, but I'll come with you." Fili checked his belt for his knives, and with a nod, they were off.

"May their good hearts never fade," Balin said, watching the princes of Durin run off.

"Aye." Agreed Dwalin, "Reminds me of us when we were just little sprouts." He said to his brother.

"They'll make good rulers one day." Gloin said, scraping underneath his nails with a knife.

"Fili will be King under the Mountain?" Bilbo asked, obviously oblivious to the bloodline of Durin.

"They're Thorin's nephews, his sister Dis' sons, next in line." Nori explained.

"Oh." The hobbit said, sheepishly looking in his pockets to escape the conversation.

"They're fighters, loyal to the last arrow." Bofur added, finding a bit of pipe-weed in his pocket and stuffing it into his pipe. "Anybody have a match?" Bilbo tossed the dwarf his small book. "Thank you."

Thorin gave a small smile with his head leaned back and his eyes closed, trying to gain back his faltering strength. "Let me take a look at those scrapes." Oin said, pulling a roll of bandages from one of his pockets. Thorin opened his eyes and pointed to his arm, leg, and ribs. "Anyone have a bit of water to spare?" Oin asked, putting his hearing trumpet down. Bombur tossed his water pouch over to his cousin and Oin washed his king's wounds and wrapped them up tight.

"Thank you Oin." Thorin readjusted himself against Kili's coat and closed his eyes, the noon sun warming him from head to toe.

When Thorin Oakenshield awoke from his nap, his nephews were back with their game. "We caught three rabbits, and a small deer." Kili tossed the hares down and helped his brother get the venison off of his back. The dwarves all looked thoroughly impressed, Oin and Gloin made a fire, and the meat was roasting on spits within the next hour. Fili and Bifur had to pin down Bombur while the others chose their cuts of meat for protection of the others and the large dwarf himself.

"Here Uncle." Fili handed Thorin the kabob with the nicest cuts of meat skewered through the middle.

"Thank you Fili." Thorin patted his heir's arm and tried to eat his food as slowly as possible to savor it, even though his stomach was clawing at his insides like a raging warg. Kili and Fili split, walking to either side of the bosky area, checking the horizon for any threats.

"Anything?" Fili shouted

"A bit of rain coming in from the East!" His brother shouted back across the clearing.

"Alright! Head back!"

The brothers ran back to camp and suggested they find a covered shelter.

"It might be just a drizzle, but it could also be a deluge." Kili said. The dwarves nodded in agreement. "I saw an overhang possibly large enough for all of us to fit underneath, we should seek refuge under that."

"Aye." Came the overall response. Kili and Fili grabbed any loose supplies and Kili led the way to the rock overhang.

It was a bit smaller than he originally thought, but the majority of them could fit underneath canopy comfortably. "I'll keep watch above." Kili said, knowing there wouldn't be enough room for him once the other dwarves and Gandalf were settled in.

"As will I." His brother added, jumping up from his spot between Thorin and Bifur, giving his wounded uncle a bit more space.

The young brothers hung their legs from the ledge above the overhang and passed a pipe between them. The rain began and they sighed, a little more than annoyed. "Here" A voice came from underneath, and a hand emerged with a thick blanket.

"Thank you!" They shouted over the rain and covered themselves with the blanket.

"Much better." Kili sighed, pulling the only cover they had over his head. His stomach growled audibly.

"Did you eat anything?" Fili asked, shaking water off of his boot and tucking his knees in.

"No. I forgot. I was so focused on feeding everyone else, I didn't eat anything." Kili frowned.

"That was a bit foolish." Fili said, reaching into his pocket and unwrapped a few pieces of rabbit leg. "You're lucky I'm a selfish twat." he smiled, offering the few strips of hare towards Kili.

"Not a twat." Kili licked his lips. "A wonderful brother." Kili took the rabbit with one hand a placed it on his lap, keeping the blanket over his head. "Thank you." He said, gnawing into a piece.

"No problem."

"I hate rain."

"Me too."


	5. The Skin-Changer's Stead

When the rain had dripped its last drop, the company packed up and continued moving in the direction of the skin-changer's home. Nori and Bifur helped Thorin limp his way through the mud so Kili and Fili could scout ahead, and warn them of foes on the horizon (thankfully, there were none.) By the time the sun began to lower in the sky, they were a bit behind schedule. They found a relatively dry spot in a grove surrounded by late summer trees. Oin and Gloin built another fire and Kili and Fili once again went out to hunt in one direction, while Dwalin and Bifur went in the opposite. Even with the four of them hunting, they only managed a few wet rabbits, a squirrel, and a couple of fowl.

Kili and Fili gagged on the squirrel and pulled out their fiddles which had managed to survive the goblin tunnels, they were a bit dinged and scratched, but they still played beautifully. They played nothing particularly fast or loud, instead drawing out ballads and love songs. No one sang, no one had the energy, and soon, everyone was almost asleep.

The young princes put their instruments away and decided to keep watch together, shivering against the summer night breeze. When it was Dori's watch, they curled up next to each other and were asleep before their heads hit the ground. Thorin's patrol came late in the night, when everything was quiet and spookily still. He grunted as he raised himself to his feet and took a wobbly step. He found he could limp about without too much trouble, and with very little pain. All he'd needed was rest apparently.

Thorin draped his blanket over his nephews and paced around the perimeter of the camp, just so he could build up his strength again. If everyone wasn't asleep, he would have played his harp to cut the silence. He finally found a rock to rest on and fiddled with the single gold chain around his neck. Thorin looked up at the stars, but found no comfort in their tinkling waltz across the sky. "I'm so close." Thorin said, as if he were speaking to his father, "Our mountain is within our grasp again. The dragon will fall and we will be kings again. Frerin wouldn't have died for naught and Dis will have her home back. The Ironhill and the Blue Mountain dwarves will find refuge with us again in their homeland, and we will be a mighty, free people once again." He promised to the breeze, hoping it would carry his words to his father's ears, even if they weren't listening.

* * *

The next morning, the dwarves were on the last leg of their short journey to the stead of the skin changer. They left their camp with little to no food in their stomachs, but a little more optimism than when they'd initially been dropped off on the carrock and left in the rain to starve. The Company travelled carefully through the rocklands, watching out for nearby orcs, and a massive bear creature, and ran swiftly through the grasslands towards the skin changers home. Gandalf explained that the great bear creature they'd all seen was, in fact, their host, Beorn. Thorin was finally feeling like himself once again and was planning a schedule out in his head when a thunderous roar came from the forest. "RUN!" Thorin shouted, sprinting after Gandalf. His nephews weren't far behind, but slackened their speed to make sure everyone was ahead. "Go! Open the Door!" Thorin bellowed, swinging his arms in grand gestures towards the massive barn. Kili and Fili threw themselves full force at the door, trying to get through the hands that fumbled to raise the bar that kept the doors closed. "Open the door!" Thorin screamed again, elbowing through the frantic dwarves and throwing open the heavy entryway. "Get inside!" He shouted, catching someones arm in his ribs and gasping.

The mighty bear-beast known as Beorn violently tried to enter the barn, snapping his massive jaws at Kili as he and Dwalin shoved one door closed, and Gloin and Fili pushed the other. Bofur slid a wooden plank in place to keep the door shut and everyone released a sigh of relief, throwing themselves down on the hay-strewn floor. Thorin and his nephews followed Gandalf through the barn, ogling at the massive furniture. "I feel like a child again." Kili commented, looking up at the table top that just passed his eye line.

"You said it." Fili said, dropping his pack and balling up his coat to put behind his head as he crouched down to lean against a pillar. Kili did the same and sat down next to his brother. "Oi, Kili, I have a knot in my shoulder." Fili wiggled around uncomfortably. "Work it out for me?" He asked. Kili pulled off his arching glove and pressed his thumb into a lump of muscle beneath his brother's shoulder blade.

"When I'm done, can you get the prickers out of my hair?"

Fili chuckled, "Yeah sure." Something large flew past Fili's ear. "My beard, what was that?" He looked around for the source of fright, and spotted a honey bee perched on a barrel. but it was no ordinary honey bee. This bee was the size of a mouse! "I hate bees." Fili grumbled, shifting as if he had a terrible itch.

"They're harmless Fee." Kili rubbed the knotted muscle on his brother's back until it was smooth. "Unless you accidentally throw rocks at them." Kili laughed remembering a time when he was a child, getting chased through the woods by a swarm, and his brother and uncle got caught up with the angry hive and they had scraped stingers out of their forearms for hours.

"Yeah, well your eye wasn't swollen shut. Let me get those burrs." Fili turned around, his shoulder feeling less tight, and lifted Kili's hair to see the colony of prickers under his mane. "Geez Kee, what'd you do?"

"I fell into a bush." Kili bashfully admitted.

"Smooth." The older brother painstakingly plucked each pricker from his sibling's hair. "That's twenty-four prickers." He said, showing his brother the small mountain of burrs on the floor. Kili leaned back so his head was in his brother's lap.

"The beard on your braid is falling out." He reached up and pinched the braid, gently giving it a yank. Fili winced and wrapped his arms around his brother's chest, flipping him over onto the dirt floor.

"You wanna wrestle, do ya?" Fili laughed, sticking his fingers in Kili's ribs, making his brother laugh and squirm.

"Fili! Gah! Fili stop! Don't tickle me! Bah-ha!" Kili tried his curl himself up into a ball, but his brother's legs were too strong and he couldn't move. He tried kicking out, but jammed his toe on a pillar.

"Say you're a gutless squirrel." Fili teased, moving his fingers under Kili's arms.

"Never!" Kili shouted, tensing his muscles.

"Come on Kili, I'll get under those arms…" Fili buried his hands in Kili's underarms.

"Gah-fu-fili-stop-it-guh-stop-HAHA-FILI! FILI STOP!"

"Say it!" Fili cackled.

"Fine! I'm a gutless squirrel!" Kili caved, tears streaming from his eyes. Fili rolled off of his brother, laughing hysterically. The other dwarves chuckled warmly, Thorin was reminded of himself and his younger brother, and turned away from the sight with a shuddering breath.

"Haha, yeah you are." Fili taunted, rubbing his moustache where Kili had pulled on it.

"Agh!" Kili tackled Fili and they rolled around playfully like over-grown puppies until they were exhausted. They laid on their backs, looking up at the rafters, breathing heavily. "Don't tickle me." Kili finally managed.

"Okay, fair enough." Fili gulped for air, smiling like a fool. It was now late in the afternoon and everyone was ready to doze off for a nap. Thorin strategized with Gandalf and built a fire. There was nothing to eat, or anything they could help themselves to without appearing rude when their host returned. Some were too exhausted to worry about their clawing stomachs, but some of the dwarves empty stomachs kept them from sleep, and caused them to toss and turn, digging through what supplies they had to see if they could find anything at the bottom of their packs. Dwalin thought about eating one of the cows inhabiting the barn, but dismissed the thought, knowing the skin-changer would have his beard if he did. Both of the young princes were too hot and weary to even roll over and fell asleep within minutes after their wrestling match.

When everyone woke up, it was late afternoon, almost evening, and the dwarves couldn't contain their hunger anymore. Kili, who'd been doing quite well, was now grumpy and unsociable, and sat rubbing his stomach and groaning. "Bombur, let me stand on your shoulders." Fili said, dragging the Blue Mountains dwarf over to a counter. "Just, hold still while I-" Fili jumped up onto the counter and shuffled around on his knees until he found a block of cheese and a bowl full of honey comb. "Bofur! Catch!" Fili tossed the cheese down and once again called on Bombur so he could climb down with the honey.

"Good work lad!" Oin patted him on the shoulder and they all sat on the floor of the barn, picking at the cheese and licking their fingers.

"There's honey in my beard!" Dori grumbled angrily.

"Oi, if you don't like it, I'll eat it." Kili said, grabbing Dori's comb, not particularly caring if he was being rude or not, the other dwarf was being ungrateful, and the honey wouldn't get stuck in his beard, since he didn't have much hair on his.

"Better?" Fili asked, biting into a handful of rich cheese as he sat down.

Kili groaned happily. "So much better." He leaned on his brother's shoulder

"Good."

* * *

Thorin jerked awake when the barn door opened. The massive silhouette fell across the walls as the skin-changer lumbered through his home. Thorin looked over and everyone was still asleep, Fili's head was just under his arm and Kili was curled up beside him. Thorin pulled his knees up to his chest and tried to get a better look at Beorn. The bear-man took long, slow strides to the behemoth bed in the corner of the barn and flopped down. He appeared to have fallen asleep instantly, and didn't seem to be a threat, even though he'd definitely noticed the uninvited guest in his stead. Thorin eventually fell back to sleep, but it was a light, dreamless sleep, even though he felt safe for now, there was a stranger amongst them, and it set him a bit on edge, and he wouldn't be taken by surprise. He awoke sometime near dawn and concluded that he would not be falling asleep again. He rubbed his eyes and tied his hair back, taking a moment to look at his hands. They'd never been soft and creamy like a child's. As long as he could remember, his hands bad been tough as leather with scars and calluses, either from forge injuries or rope burn. He couldn't remember the last time his hands didn't look like this. His sister's hands were rough and scarred, not as much as his, but pricking oneself with needles while sewing up wounds can cause the same effect as a burn by hot steel. Frerin's hands had been soft, he'd always taken good care of his hands, he wore gloves in the forge and whenever he trained. He had always said his hands were his favorite part of him, since he didn't have Thrain's strong chest or Thorin's chin. He'd been more of an artist than a warrior. He'd prefered forging and creating to destroying. He did plenty of destroying, but seemed the most at home when he was hammering out knives and axes. Thorin pulled his own war axe from behind him and held the head with his finger spread. The square cut from the center made it lighter and faster. He'd never used it until the dragon came, he'd prized the axe, kept it up above his mantle, but a weapon was a weapon when the time came, and the delicate carving of the word Khâzash was filled with flesh and blood. Thorin scratched at the dried gore embedded in the words with his fingernails, but nothing would make those words clear again. He tried to think of the last time he'd seen his brother, what he'd told him "Lead them to the wood." He'd said, sending his brother to his death. "Be careful." He'd said.

"I will." Frerin had responded. Now Thorin thought of the hill of bodies and the rivers of blood that had been created in the battle. Dwalin and Balin stood around, not believing the mass amount of carnage around them. Thorin searched for his brother, shouting his name until his voice was cracked and Frerin's name had lost all meaning. Thror was dead, Thrain was missing, Frerin could not be lost as well. Thorin looked at his sleeping nephews, hoping Fili would never have to feel the pain of losing his brother. Kili's arms were wrapped around Fili's chest, and Thorin was back in Moria, clutching his brother's coat and smoothing his hair.

"Frerin? Frerin, please." He'd whispered. "Khâzash, we won. I can't find father, we need to make sure Dis is alright. Her husband has fallen, don't make me tell her alone. Don't make me tell your wife that her son and her husband aren't coming home! Don't make me do that!" He'd screamed, burying his face in his brother's blood-stained clothing beneath the East Gate of Khazad-dûm.

Thorin stood from his corner, banishing any thoughts of his brother and tucked his axe back into place. "Gandalf." He kicked the wizard's foot. "Gandalf, wake up." The wizard snorted and shook awake.

"What? What is it?"

"It's dawn, help me speak to our gracious host, I'd like my men to eat honestly and not have to send my nephew to crawl across countertops like a thief."

"Wait a few hours Thorin, Beorn is probably very tired from changing last night, give him a little more time to sleep. he'll probably be a bit more reasonable when he's well rested." Gandalf said, his beard shaking.

"Then I'm going out, I'll be back when the sun is a few hours before noon."

"You will do nothing of the sort!" Gandalf harrumphed, lightly tapping his staff on the ground.

"Who is the leader of this journey? Is this the company of Gandalf the Grey?" Thorin retorted, readjusted the pelt over his shoulders. Gandalf frowned at the dwarf. "I'll be back soon, I'm just going for a walk."

"Very well." Gandalf still had a puss on his face, but he tilted the brim of his hat down and went back to sleep, not bothering to see if Thorin had even made it out the door. He walked through the courtyard and out of the front gate, walking around the massive cedar fence that enclosed Beorn's home. Thorin walked into the nearby woods with his axe in hand. He spotted a thick-trunked Douglas Fir and swung at it full force, seething with anger he hacked and chopped at the tree until it collapsed and his hands were bleeding with blisters. He clutched his axe tight to his chest, rubbing his thumb over Khâzash over and over again. He wiped at his face and put his axe behind him once more. He wrapped his hands and made his way back to Beorn's, blinking and rubbing at his eyes and the rest of his face so no one would notice his swollen eyes. He'd been gone for just over an hour and the sun was rising over the tree line. Thorin quietly snuck his way back into the barn and sat down next to Fili and Kili.

"Feel better?" Gandalf said from under his hat brim.

"Much."


	6. Mirkwood Forest

"We have to go in there without Gandalf?" Kili said, looking over his shoulder at the wizard galloping in the opposite direction

"You scared, gutless squirrel?" Fili elbowed his brother in the ribs.

"I was under duress!" Kili squeaked.

"You still said it." FIili

"Whatever, you can go first." Kili bowed in mock respect, gesturing a hand out towards the darkness of Mirkwood. Fili strode after the rest of the company, Kili in tow. Thorin's words about watching over Kili rang in Fili's ears and he slowed his gait to walk abreast to his brother.

"Remember what Gandalf said, don't go off the path, or you'll never find it again, so stay close."

"I think I can stay on a path Fee." Kili scoffed.

"Yeah, I'm just making sure. Are you getting a little cold?" Fili pulled his coat around him tighter and pushed his fox pelt closer to his neck.

"I'm actually pretty warm." Kili untied his shirt a bit and caught his glove with his teeth and pulled it off, the string attached to it kept it from getting lost and stayed on his shirt. Most of his shirts had loops in the sleeve, something Fili had suggested when they were children and Dis had made all of Kili's shirts with loops ever since, and he hadn't lost a glove or mitten after that point. They walked all day and seemed to be getting no where. "By Durin. it is hot as hell in this forest." Kili groaned, exasperated and sweating profusely.

"I don't know what you're talking about, it's freezing. I'd much rather be too warm than too cold." Fili said, his teeth chattering.

"Does anyone else hear yodeling?" Gloin shouted

"KHILUZ!" Bifur screeched, latching onto Bofur and Bombur, as if to make sure they were both real. The company, that had been deathly quiet moments ago were now deafeningly loud.

"Be quiet! All of you!" Bilbo piped up, trying to sound important, the way Thorin did when he wanted everyone's attention. The dwarves were quieted, a bit shocked at Bilbo's audacity. Dwalin thumped his axe around his feet, trying to find the rest of the path.

"This way." He grunted, leading the rest of the dwarves across the stone track and further into the Mirkwood forest. Sometime later, when the sky had darkened, Thorin suggested they all rest for the night. The dwarves all collapsed onto the flagstone, resting their heads on their packs. Kili removed his coat and draped it over Fili's shoulders to keep his teeth from audibly chattering. He would have stayed closer, but he was ridiculously hot, as if he'd just spent the last day in the desert. Kili stripped off his tunic and tied his hair back. Thorin walked back along the path to check on everyone.

"Kili." He tossed a half-full water skin in his nephew's direction. Kili snatched it from the air without looking up and poured the water into his mouth and over his hair, anything to cool himself down. "At least put on a shirt, we don't know what insects call this infernal forest home." Kili nodded and pulled his tunic back over his shoulders and leaned back, resting his head on Fili's side and falling asleep.

The next morning, Kili was feeling much less hot but a little more dizzy and confused. Fili was sweating from the amount of blankets he'd piled on top of himself the previous night. "We keep moving." Thorin grunted, heaving his pack onto his shoulders and starting down the path again. Dwalin was now talking like a raving madman about trivial things, and everyone seemed to be mumbling or completely silent. Even though it must have been early morning, the forest was dark as evening, the canopy of the trees blocking almost all of the light from the sun. Thorin heard burbling water and stopped to look down. A small river gurgled and rushed past. "There's no way across." Thorin said to Dwalin, who'd finally shut his mouth.

"Wait." Said the hobbit, squinting through the dark, "There's a small boat on the other side!"

"Fili! Kili!" Thorin shouted. "Bring a hook and some rope." The boys hustled to fulfil their uncle's request. They came shoulder to shoulder with him. "See if you can hook the boat on the other side of the river."

"A boat?" Fili squinted, barely seeing a dark outline of the pathetic dingy.

"Yes. See if you can pull it over here." Thorin rolled his eyes, it seemed like a fairly obvious request.

"Here, hand me the hook." Kili held out a hand. Fili placed the cold steel into his palm. "Stand back." Kili said, swinging the rope with the grapple on the end over his head and releasing in the direction of the tiny skiff. He heard a splash and Fili thunked the back of his head.

"Idiot, hand it over." Fili sighed, the forest air was thinning his normally strong patience for his brother. Kili slapped the rope into his brother's hand and Fili pulled the hook back and threw it again and again, letting the hobbit tell him where to toss, eventually the hook caught the frail wood of the boat. Thorin nodded.

"Now pull it over." He grunted.

"I know!" Fili snapped, yanking the boat across the dark river. Kili punched his arm, hard. "Like you did any better!" Fili sneered, pulling with all of his strength to no avail. Thorin looked upon his heir with a look of contempt at his behavior. After a moment of more pulling and grunting, Kili grabbed the end of the rope and pulled with his brother, then Oin and Gloin wrapped their fingers around the cord and tugged, a large crack was heard as the weak rope tying the little black boat snapped and Fili could finally heave the dingy onto the shore.

"Who'll cross first?" asked Bilbo

"I shall" Said Thorin, "So will you, Fili, and Balin. The boat will hold that many at a time, then Kili, Oin, Golin, and Dori." The dwarf king listed, "Then Ori, Nori and Bofur and Bifur, then Dwalin and Bombur will go last." Bombur kicked up a fuss about going last, but no one was going to have that and they silenced his complaints with fair counter arguments.

"There are no oars, how will we get across?" The hobbit pointed out.

"Give me another length of rope and another hook." Fili said with an idea. He explained that by using a system of two ropes, the boat could be pulled from either side of the river. Fili then tossed the second hooked rope up into the darkness. He gave it a quick tug and it seemed to have be anchored in a tree. He gave a smile and stepped into the boat, helping Balin in as well. Thorin handed Fili the hobbit by holding him under the arms, much to Bilbo's distress and embarrassment and he was placed into the skiff, Thorin bounding into the dingy after him. Using Fili's system, the majority of them made it safely got to the far bank. Dwalin had coiled the rope around his arm and barked at Bombur to get into the boat. Bombur took one step into the boat and it swayed uncertainly. It took both Fili and Kili's strength to get the little black vessel across the river. Dwalin jumped onto the bank and Bombur panicked at the change of balance, the boat teetered and capsized. Bombur's hood floated above the water and the little black boat floated away down the stream. Dwalin threw his rope towards Bombur's drowning form to be caught in the wet dwarf's hands. The entire company heaved and pulled on the length until Bombur rolled onto the bank.

"He's asleep!" Kili said, kicking at the fat dwarf's side. The Blue Mountain dwarf was in deep slumber, gripping the rope as if a last attempt to stay in the conscious world. The company cursed his clumsiness and Dwalin and Nori volunteered of carry the dwarf first as they forged on. Thorin sighed and rubbed his face.

"Alright, let us continue and see if this accursed forest ever ends." The dwarves set off again down the seemingly endless flagstone path. Fili nudged his shoulder against Kili's.

"Sorry I snapped at you earlier, I don't know what came over me." He apologized, looking down at his boots.

"Apology accepted, I'm sorry I punched your arm."

"Apology accepted. All is forgiven?" Fili asked, turning to face his brother.

"Aye." Kili smiled, laying an arm over Fili's shoulders as they walked down the path, the air seeming to get thicker the further they went.

After what seemed like days of endless darkness, Dwalin was the first to cave. "I must rest, I can't go on for much longer." He sighed, leaning on his axe. Thorin was shocked that it was his strongest man who had fallen prey to the forest sickness first. Thorin wasn't about to press Dwalin into going any further, lest the dwarf collapse and join Bombur in a never ending sleep.

"We will rest here for the night." Thorin said, holding a water skin out to Dwalin, who was bent over on a rock, his head in his hands. "It cannot be coincidence that you are unwell, my friend." Thorin crouched down and placed a hand on Dwalin's shoulder, "This forest is effecting all of us. We will rest here until you are well enough to travel again." Thorin assured his most loyal companion. Dwalin raised his head and nodded, giving Thorin a small smile and patting his wrist.

"Thank you." He said in a hoarse voice, as if he had been suffering from an affliction of the throat. Kili and Fili sat cross legged, facing one another as Oin and Gloin built a small fire from what little fuel they could find on the path or directly next to it.

"This forest is peculiar, it's making everyone delirious, as if with fever." Fili observed as the other dwarves stared blankly at their surroundings.

"First the heat waves, then the hallucinations, and then the aggressiveness we had towards one another, it's driving us all mad." Kili whispered back in agreement.

"I should go apologize to Uncle for my actions earlier." Fili sighed, watching Thorin check on everyone and make sure they were all somewhat self-aware.

"Don't mention the supplies Bombur lost when the boat capsized." Kili said in a hushed tone.

"Don't remind me." Fili gulped. He hopped over Bofur and Nori to stand face to face with his uncle. "My behavior earlier at the river was unacceptable. I apologize." He bowed his head.

Thorin laid both hands on his nephew's shoulders, "There is a sickness upon this forest that is contagious to us. It is not your fault if the air has affected your judgement, but I accept your apology." He patted Fili's cheek and gave him a slight smile, "Get some rest." Fili smiled back and traversed the maze of bodies and packs back to his brother at the far end of the campsite near Bombur's snoring mass. Sometime during the night, Thorin spotted a light further down the path, he woke Fili and told him to keep watch whilst he went to investigate.

"Let me come with you." Fili said, pulling himself up.

"No, stay here with the company. I'll see if I can find any resources." He gave his nephew an affectionate pat and walked off down the path to be swallowed by darkness. Fili tapped Kili's foot. Kili groaned and rolled over.

"Hm?" He gurgled.

"Keep watch with me." Fili whispered.

"It's Thorin's watch." Kili moaned, burrowing his face back into his blankets.

"He left to investigate a light further down the path." Explained Fili.

"Thorin's gone?" Kili raised his head and looked around.

"Yeah, so keep watch with me."

"Fine." Kili rolled over to he could lean against the tree he'd been sleeping at the roots of. Of course Kili didn't last long and fell asleep again, but not before Bombur finally awoke, gasping and shaking like a leaf in a hurricane.

"Are we still in the forest?" The Blue Mountain dwarf asked. Fili draped a blanket over Bombur's shoulders.

"Yes, you fell into the river and fell asleep." Kili explained from his place by the tree.

"Oh. I wish I were still asleep. I dreamed I was at a feast with platters and platters of fine food." Bombur pouted.

"We'd still be carrying you through the woods if you were still asleep and we're running low on provisions We've had to ration everything out after you lost our pack of food when you fell. Thorin doesn't even know yet." Kili added, not very content with the ginger, or the fact that he was awake so late at night.

"Speaking of which, where is he? It's been over and hour." Fili scratched at his beard, "I'm going to find him." He patted Bombur on the back and strapped his swords onto his back.

"I'll come with you." Kili said, pulling his bow across his chest.

"Fine, Bombur, will you keep watch while we're gone?" Fili asked, not giving the dwarf not much of a choice.

"Wait. Where are you going?" Bofur said, stirring up the rest of the company.

"We're going to find Thorin." Kili explained.

"Thorin's gone?" Dori asked, wide-eyed.

"Yes, but-" Fili attempted to explain.

"Where's Thorin?"

"How long has be been gone?"

"When did Bombur wake up?"

"I want to come!"

"Me too!"

"Fine!" Fili shouted over all of their voices, "Pack up, we're leaving, you have five minutes." Fili instructed, starting to kick dirt over the fire. He was in charge, he supposed, since Thorin was gone, and honestly, he was frightened. If something happened, it would be on him. If someone died or was injured during his charge, he'd have their blood on his hands. When everyone was packed up and ready, they looked to the heir for instructions. Kili gave his brother an encouraging nod. "We follow the path until find the source of that light." Fili pointed at the flickering orb of light in the distance. "We do not stray from the path, we walk until our legs can hold us no longer or we find Thorin." With that, FIli turned on his heel and started down the path, Kili by his side and Dwalin watching his back.

* * *

Fili was still, completely and totally paralyzed. It was in a state of nothingness. He remembered nothing but hissing and his brother's terrified shouts.

Kili.

Fili's eyes slowly opened, but were covered in a sticky film. He found he could not move, except for his eyes and his finger tips. He could not feel much, but he knew his back touched nothing but air and he was suspended from this...web. He heard terrible hissing and clicking and something was touching him! Something large was crawling over him! He tried his best to squirm, but the creature atop of him only seemed to get excited by his movement and crawled around him even more. He heard a loud thunk farther away from him and the creature that he assumed was a spider, was gone. He tried his best to move around and break free, but he couldn't reach the knives that frequented his pockets. Eventually, he grew tired of fighting and was regaining very little movement, hanging from the trees. A few heartbeats after he'd given in, the tension around him snapped and he was falling. He softly hit the ground and waited. He heard tiny footsteps, his eyes were rapidly shifting around, trying to see what was coming towards him. He grunted and got a hold of one of his knives.

"Fili?" Bilbo said, a blade cutting through the web that surrounded him.

"Bilbo!" Fili wheezed, never having been so happy to see the hobbit.

"Can you move?" The halfing crouched down next to him. Fili rolled his wrists and his shoulders, the fresher air giving him his strength back. He was finally able to lift his head after a moment.

"I should be able to stand in just a minute." He grunted, forcefully squeezing his core and pushing off the ground as best he could to get into an upright position. He bent one knee, then the other. Bilbo held out his arm to help the dwarf prince up. Fili graciously took Mr. Baggins' hand and was finally able to stand. "Spider venom is nasty stuff. Thank you Bilbo." Fili took a deep breath through his mouth and placed a hand on the hobbit's shoulder. "Where are the others?" He asked, panic starting to wash over his relief at being alive. Bilbo looked skyward. Fili followed his gaze to see a eleven cocoons dangling overhead.

"I cut you down first, so you could help me." Bilbo explained. Fili nodded and removed a single sword from his back.

"Let us climb." Fili said, nimbly scaling the nearest tree to cut down his companions. When everyone was down on the ground, the hobbit and mountain heir set to cutting everyone free. Some cocoons moved and were pushed on by hands, desperate to be out of binding around them. Fili slashed through the webs, desperately looking for his brother. He listed the dwarves he released in his head, "Balin, Bofur, Ori, Bombur, Bifur, Nori, Oin, Dori, and Gloin." he said, looking at the last cocoon, "Meaning this is Kili!" He said out loud, gingerly slicing through the sticky encasing and ripping it away from his brother's body. Kili was completely still.

Fili's heart pounded in his ears as he stared at his brother. Kili's chest rose and fell and Fili breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled the rest of the webbing off of his brother and held him in his arms, flicking away the hair in Kili's eyes and gently patting his face to get him to come to. The entire company silently watched for several minutes as Fili tried to coax his brother into consciousness. After a few more agonizing moments, Kili's eyes fluttered open. "Menu ziramu gamildul!" Fili kissed the top of his brother's head and squeezed his shoulders.

"Fili. Fili, I can't breathe when you're squeezing me." Kili gasped. Fili released his brother, but still kept a hand on him, either tucking hair behind his ears or keeping a hand on his arm to help him up. Once everyone was standing again, they started to strategize, having lost the path and being in the middle of nowhere.

"The spiders are coming back!" Bilbo screeched, holding his sword at the ready. The dwarves got into battle position and charged the oncoming arachnides, hacking and slashing at legs and eyes. The battle lasted many, many minutes, mainly ending when the elves seemed to fall from the sky. After the majority of the spiders had been slain, all but one of the dwarves were held at arrowpoint. Fili looked around and heard his brother's distressed cry from a bit far off.

"Kili!" He shouted. Meanwhile, Kili fended off a massive spider with a rotting tree limb. A lithe and fiercely beautiful elf bounded through the clearing. She stuck one spider with a throwing knife and attacked the spider that had overbore Kili. The dwarf prince scurried away from the beast and watched as another came tumbling down the hill. He looked for something to defend himself with, but found nothing.

"Throw me a dagger!" He shouted in desperation, knowing the elf would have a knife to spare, "Quick!"

"If you think I'm giving you a weapon dwarf..." She said, sinking a knife into one spider's head. She turned and threw the very same knife into the charging arachnid's eye, sending it crashing to the ground before Kili, "You are mistaken." She turned to face him. Kili blinked, making sense of the beauty that stood before him. He stood, dumbfounded, staring at the elf, several heads taller than he. She grabbed his shoulder and pushed him towards the other dwarves. Kili said nothing as he rejoined the group and they were searched. Kili tried to understand what the she-elf was saying to the intense-looking blonde elf, but could understand nothing. Fili was surprised at how clever and through the elf searching him was. Not only were his swords taken, but the knives in his pockets, boots, coat, and hood. He pulled at his clothes, showing he had no other forms of defense. The elf shook his head and pulled another knife from Fili's collar. Fili sighed and watched the elf nod in satisfaction and walk off with all of his weapons. Kili had lost his weapons in the fight and could give nothing to the elves, who basically ignored him, except for a few glances from the apparent captain of the elves. She shouted a few things in elvish and they were pushed forward.

"Where's Bilbo?" Bofur whispered.

"Where's Thorin?" Fili whispered back to receive a hit to the back of the head with the nock of an elvish bow.

"Stop speaking." The elf said, not even bothering to look down. They walked for less than an hour, when they heard rushing water and light started to filter through the trees again. This factor brought small smiles onto the dwarves faces. The foliage finally cleared and they could see a splendid palace of stone next to a running waterfall. They were marched across a thin bridge above the river and into the fortress, the doors swinging closed behind them. The dwarves all blinked to adjust to the darkness that was only cut by occasional torchlight. They were forcefully shoved into individual cells deep within the forest elves' realm. "Aren't you going to search me?" Kili said, turning to the she-elf with auburn hair. "I could have anything in m trousers." He warned.

"Or nothing." The she-elf smiled, as if she were amused by him and closed the elf who had originally searched Fili grabbed him by the shoulder and grabbed his last concealed knife from inside his shirt. Fili gave the elf a guilty smile and was unceremoniously pushed into his own cell. The dwarves shouted and slammed into the bars, anything to get the elves to release them. They shouted obscenities in Khuzdul and in any other language they could use to curse the tall and cold creatures. Once all but a few guard elves had left, Fili spoke through the bars of his lockup.

"I apologize everyone. It was my fault to wander further down the path, and foolish to think that I could lead us out of the forest. I thoughtlessly lead you into danger and captivity. I beg your forgiveness." Fili said, pressing his forehead against the chilly iron.

"We were starving out there lad, and Thorin hadn't returned. You were thinking of all of us in finding your Uncle. And if you hadn't woken us up, we'd still be lost and starving in the forest without the line of Durin." Balin said, trying to comfort the prince.

"Aye. At least we'll be warm and dry here." Dwalin added.

"And they feed prisoners, don't they?" Bombur perked up at the idea of food.

"All is forgiven lad." Balin concluded.

"Thank you." Fili sighed, glad to no longer have as much guilt pressing on his shoulders.

"You saved us Fili." Kili said, just able to see his brother from across the oddly shaped hall.

A nearby guard slipped into a corridor and swiftly made his way down the hall, passing Thorin Oakensheild's cell on his way and peering in.

"Do you have a nephew?" The elf asked. Thorin remained silent and kept his head down. "I demand you tell me this instant. A blonde dwarf named Fili." At this, Thorin looked up, a mixed look of hope and fear in his eyes. "I thought so." The elf concluded, running further down the hall. Thorin ran up to the bars.

"Are they alive?" He shouted, but the elf was long gone. Thorin started to pace, hoping his men had be saved and not killed by the elves or the spiders and that the only reason the elf had mentioned Fili wasn't a cruel attempt to get him talking.

* * *

**AN: I'd like to thank those of you who reviewed! And Wanted to let you know there's more to come! Hint: Involves a lovely auburn-haired elf! **


	7. Orc Ambush

Kili pulled the only item he currently owned out of his pocket.

Return.

He ran his fingers over the etched words in the otherwise smooth stone. He tossed it through the air, catching it in his hands with a satisfying thwack each time. Tauriel, having just come from her audience with the Thranduil, walked around the dungeons, making sure the dwarves weren't plotting anything. They were sad little creatures who hung their heads low. They were nothing like the great dwarven kings she'd heard so much about during her youth. Her highly sensitive ears heard the thwacking of the runestone on Kili's palm from down the hall. Kili tossed the stone again, saw Tauriel and cradled it in his hand, keeping his head down, but peered through his bangs at the elf maid. "The stone in your hand, what is it?" The elf asked, her curiosity piqued. Kili saw a chance to fluster the noble elf and came up with a little story. He looked up at the elf, then back to the runestone.

"It is a talisman." He said, serious faced, looking back up at the she-elf. She leaned in. "A powerful spell lies upon it. If any but a dwarf reads the runes on the stone…" He paused, holding the stone between his forefinger and thumb, "they will be forever cursed." He thrust the runestone towards the elf. Her eyes bulged and she turned to step away, her superstitious nature getting the best of her. "Or not," Kili grinned, his mysterious facade melting away. Tauriel turned back to the dwarf, "depending on if you believe in that stuff or not. It's just a token." he smiled and chuckled. Tauriel gave him a small smile, understanding the joke now. "It's a runestone." He rubbed the sides of the polished rock, good and bad memories flooding his mind. "My mother gave it to me so I'd remember my promise." He grinned, turning so he could face the elf more openly. Tauriel was intrigued by the dwarf and leaned down closer to the bars.

"What promise?" She asked. Fili glared through the bars at the she-elf's back.

"That I would come back to her." Kili admitted with a sad smile. Tauriel looked down, not quite sure what to say. "She worries," Kili explained, looking back down at his hands and giving the stone another toss up into the air. "She thinks I'm wreckless."

"Are you?" Tauriel asked.

"Nah." Kili tossed the runestone, but was too distracted by the elf's fairness to catch it properly and it skittered across the floor and out of the cell. Tauriel stopped the stone with the toe of her boot before the promise was lost to the river below. Kili jumped up to get it back. Tauriel picked up the stone and held it up to the light. The dwarf prince hoped she wouldn't tuck it into her pocket like the other elves did with Gloin's pictures and Fili's knives. A loud cheer was heard from above and Tauriel turned back to Kili. "It sounds like quite the party up there." He observed. Fili flailed his arms, trying to get his brother to shut up and stop fraternizing with the enemy. He knew what Kili was trying to do when he made small talk, and thought that maybe he was trying to smooth talk his way out of his cell. But as their conversation continued and Tauriel gave Kili back his father's runestone, Fili realized that his brother had no intention of getting out. He'd probably prefer it if the elf came into his cell and sat with him while they had a cup of tea!

"What is your name dwarf?" Tauriel finally asked, having sat down on the ground in front of Kili's cell cross-legged. Kili straightened his back.

"Kili, son of…" The dwarf prince saw his brother make a slashing gesture across his throat. "Kili, son of Dis." He said, ignoring Fili's agonized flailing. Luckily, the elf had no knowledge that Dis was a dwarvish princess. "How about you? Do you have a name tied to the end of your hair?" Kili smirked.

"Tauriel." She said, leaning on the heel of her palm.

"Tauriel." Kili repeated. "Have you ever rolled that middle 'R'? Like Taurrrrrrriel." He chuckled and groaned at his own stupidity. Tauriel held her stomach as she laughed and giggled like a small child. Fili repeatedly hit his forehead on the wall next to him.

"You are a comical character, Kili, son of Dis." Tauriel sighed, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.

"And you'd be the first to think that." Kili chuckled, running a hand through his hair.

Tauriel stood from the stone floor, "I must go now, but it was nice talking with you Kili, son of Dis." Kili's heart melted each time she said his name.

"I enjoyed our conversation as well...Taurrrrrriel." He couldn't help himself. The elf's bell-like laugh echoed in the dungeons.

"Goodnight." She blushed.

"Goodnight, enjoy your party." Kili replied, draping his arms across the bars. Tauriel sauntered off, hoping no one would notice how late she was to the feast. Legolas met her halfway down the steps, having listened to the entire conversation between her and the dwarf.

"Why does the Dwarf stare at you, Tauriel?" He said in elvish.

"Who can say?" Tauriel replied in the same tongue, "He's quite tall for a dwarf. Do you not think?" She blushed again and walked off.

"He is taller than some…" Legolas said so Kili could hear, "but no less ugly." He called after her.

"Who are you calling ugly, Khulm?" Fili shouted through the bars of his cell. Legolas bounded up the steps to Fili's cell door and glared down at him. If the rest of the dwarves had been awake, they would have cringed and tried to silence him.

"Who do you think you are addressing dwarf?" The elf prince spat.

"An arrogant pig who thinks he can insult the people of Durin because he sees himself above us! I see nothing wise or fair in your eyes like the elves of Rivendell! I see aloof fools running around like bulnd fazul butting heads!" Fili shouted back Legolas. The elf reached through the bars and grabbed hold of Fili's tunic, bunching the fabric up in his fists. Fili remained stone-faced and did nothing to escape the elf's grip.

"Watch your vile tongue dwarf." Legolas hissed, shoving the dwarf away from him. Fili stumbled back.

"And you watch yours." He growled. The elf prince exhaled in indignation and turned on his heel with a huff, padding down the stairs and exiting the dungeon.

"A bit sensitive, huh?" Kili chuckled.

"Don't make me have to do that again." Fili sighed, setting himself down on the stone bench within his lockup. He held his head in his hands.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kili asked.

"It means I'm scared Kili. Thorin is gone and we need to find a way out. I spoke like I was yelling at a drunkard at a tavern in Dunland! I have angered him! I don't want to guess what he'll tell his lord and master, so, please...try to avoid speaking to the she-elf."

"Tauriel is different." Kili tried to explain.

"Please Kili." Fili dropped to the floor on his hands and knees, "I can't be the only one to lead us. I need you to help me because…" He pulled at his hair, "I'm not ready." Kili put his brother's distress against his growing love for Tauriel and found that his family came before an attractive elf.

"I'm sorry. I'll do as you ask." Kili nodded, tucking another promise into his pocket along with the one he'd given to Dis. After a few moments of silence, Kili finally realized something. "Does this mean I have to call you King Fili?" Fili coughed at the ridiculous notion.

"Uncle may still be out there. I will not accept that right until I am sure he is no longer living." Fili shakily smoothed his hair back away from his face, terrified at the thought of being King.

"Alright, I understand." Kili said, dropping the title subject and kicking it until it was dead.

"Dolzekh menu, Khâzash." Fili replied, leaning back against the wall.

"Gamut nanan, Khâzash." Kili concluded the conversation, rolling over to go to sleep, hoping to dream of a certain elf-amid with auburn hair.

"Gamut nanan." Fili said back, closing his eyes and trying to find sleep. His mind was simply filled with too many thoughts and he could not find the only thing that could ease his restless mind for a while.

* * *

The dwarves were let be on their first full day in the Mirkwood dungeons. They slept for most of the day, with no desire to return to their captive and hungry world of consciousness. Fili spent most of his time tossing and turning, trying to conceptualize an escape plan. Kili repeatedly braided his hair, unknotted everything and let it loose for a fashion, and was given the chance to finger-comb through the nest his locks had become in an attempt to keep it tidy without getting stared at while he groomed. When his hair was finally how he liked it, he continued to be bored and hungry, "They could at least give us something to do." he groaned, pulling at the hem of his tunic.

"They also could have let us keep our coats." Ori chattered, missing his many layers of sweaters.

"Alright dwarves, dinner time." Tauriel announced, stepping from a nearby corridor. A small squad of elven guards with thin metal dishes scattered the leftover scraps from the feast the night before. The remaining dwarves awoke and quickly ate their rations. Fili tucked his stale crust of bread into his pocket and peckishly nibbled at the cold venison on his plate, too nervous to eat. Tauriel dismissed the guards and began to traipse around the dungeons, watching eas dwarf for a few seconds before moving on to the next. She paused a few extra moments in front of Kili's door and gave him a smile. Kili tried to ignore her as Fili had asked, but found himself giving her the smallest of smiles back. Tauriel kept going about her rounds until she got to Ori's cell, where she tossed him one of his sweaters. Ori blushed and pulled it over his head. The she-elf then left to attend the second night of the starlight feast. The dwarves prepared for another long night in the dungeon. Kili was ready to rip the bars down from their frame and escape. He couldn't stand being in this small space for so long, even if it was bigger than most dwarf-sized jail cells.

"I'm going to go mad if I have to stay in this hole for another night." Kili growled, violently shaking at the bars.

"That won't be necessary." He heard a voice say outside. Kili shifted to see the source of the voice, not believing who stood before him.

"Bilbo! Thorin!" He cried. The other dwarves ran up to the doors of their cells and saw the large ring of keys in Bilbo's hand.

"Let us out then, lad!" Dwalin barked. The hobbit unlocked all of the doors and started to lead the company further down into the wine cellars. Fili stayed behind Thorin, relief washing over him.

"What are we doing down here?" Kili hissed, "You were supposed to be leading us out!"

"I know, please, just, get into the barrels." Master Baggins pleaded. Everyone looked to Thorin. The leader of the company glanced over at the stirring elves draped over the table, then over to Bilbo, then back to the company.

"Do as he says." Thorin said, wishing to escape Mirkwood as fast as possible. He heard a commotion up the stairs and climbed into the barrel farthest from the stairs. Fili patted his brother's shoulder and lowered himself into the barrel between Thorin and Kili.

"What do we do now?" Bofur asked, sticking his head out of the wine-soaked drum. Everyone looked at Bilbo curiously.

"Hold your breath." Bilbo said, pulling a long lever.

"Hold our bre-?" Kili was cut off my the tipping of the floor and the clanking, rolling, and splashing of the barrels as they dropped into the river below. Kili was thoroughly soaked by the time his drum bobbed up to the surface. He spat a stream of river water, "Well then, that was refreshing." He shook water out of his ears. Bilbo splashed into the ravine after a moment of the dwarves wonderings.

"Well done, Master Baggins" Thorin said, beginning to paddle downstream. Bilbo clung to Nori's cask and heard thundering feet above. "Falls!" Thorin shouted, ducking into his cylindrical vessel. The dwarves were sloshed and tossed about in the rapids. They shook water from their beards and braced themselves against the chilled autumn water and wind, only to be splashed and thrown about some more. The gate leading out of Thranduil's realm was within Thorin's sight.

"Close the Gates!" Legolas Greenleaf barked from behind the dwarf king.

"No!" Thorin bellowed, paddling faster towards the iron grate that slammed shut just in front of him. He gripped the freezing metal, and he was once again trapped. Screams from the elvin guard filled the air as both elves and orcs fell into the water. In the midst of the chaos, Kili spied the lever that would open the gate. He jumped up from his barrel and landed on the small stone bridge. He made his way up the tall steps and reached for the lever. An arrow from Bolg's bow sliced through the air and pierced Kili's thigh, just above his right knee.

"Kili!" Fili screamed as his brother fell to the ground in shock and agony, grabbing at his wound. Thorin turned from the gate having heard his nephew's cries.

"Kili." He exhaled, wide-eyed and fearful. His kin was wounded, and there was nothing he could do to protect his sister's sons. Every memory of happy little dwarf boys chasing after each other filled his head. The company could only fight as the Orcs continued to berate them. Another orc arrow was aimed at the wounded dwarf prince, but the archer's arrow never hit its target. A Silvan knife cut his throat and his bowstring. Tauriel lept from the bushes and valiantly battled the orcs, looking as if she were dancing instead of slaying the villainous creatures of Middle-Earth. Kili mustered through the numbing and twisting pain in his leg and jumped up, taking hold of the lever and pulling it down with all of his body weight, hell fire spreading throughout his leg as he collapsed onto the stone steps.

"Kili!" Fili shouted once more, the dwarf filled barrels beginning to follow the current. Kili cursed and pulled himself up, taking a massive leap into an empty barrel. The shaft that was imbedded in his leg snapped, causing another display of sadistic fireworks to explode before Kili's eyes. Fili tried to reach his brother before they went over the falls once more, but the river continued to surge forward, and the Orcs were in pursuit, the elves just behind. Fili tried to keep an eye on Kili in the whirling turrents, but the white-capped waves filled his line of sight and his brother was lost to him. An axe flew threw the air towards him.

"Fili!" Dwalin shouted. Fili plucked the axe from the air and aggressively split an Orc in two. The current finally was faster than the dwarfs pursuers and they eventually gently drifted down the river where the current was weak and they could disembark from their barrels. Kili clawed his way out of his, Fili bounded from the River, his clothes and beard completely soaked to help him. The remaining few inches of arrow shaft stuck from his thigh.

"Bite on this." Fili handed his brother a folded bandana. "Take a deep breath." Fili grabbed the arrow and ripped it out of his brother's leg, head and all. Kili slammed his fist on the rocks and the bandana muffled his scream. Fili pulled the fabric from Kili's mouth and pressed it up against the puncture wound, Kili's blood dripping from his leg and streaming down the rocks. Bofur looked at him with concern.

"It's nothing. I'll be fine." He said, not believing a word he said. Fili was frightened at the color his brother's skin had turned.

"Let's keep moving." Thorin barked, the sooner he was out of Thranduil's realm, the better. Kili was wounded, but he was alive, and he'd always been a quick healer. Thorin was concerned, but he had more pressing matters to worry about.

"Kili's leg needs to be bound! We should find camp." Fili protested.

"We need to get across this lake by nightfall." Thorin barked, "Bind his leg quickly, you have two minutes."

* * *

**AN: Sorry about the delay for this chapter! Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate them!**


	8. Laketown

Within Bard the Bargeman's house, Kili continued to feel more and more dizzy, like he was being held underwater and had no air. He was constantly cold, like he'd never emerged from the river, no matter how many blankets Fili pulled over his shoulders. He got very good at hiding his limp, but hadn't realized how pale he'd gotten over the past few days, but everyone had taken notice, even Sigrid and Tilda, Bard's daughters. Somehow, he convinced his brother and Uncle to bring him to the armory with them, since he was very good at sneaking, good leg or bad. Weapons were piled into his arms, and the weight was surprisingly heavy. He recalled a time when he had carried old women and over a hundred pounds of weight on his back across a river, yet he could barely lift his arms above his head.

"Are you alright?" Thorin asked, placing a hatchet onto Kili's pile of weapons.

"Yeah." Kili said, re-adjusting his grip and Thorin turned back to the broadswords lining the wall opposite.

"Take those out to the lads." Dwalin said, pointing down the stairs where Nori and Bifur stood watch. Kili took a few steps down the stairs before his charade fell, as well as himself and all of the forged steel in his hands as his leg gave out from underneath him. The dwarves had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide when then Laketown men charged in, torches and swords blazing. Kili looked up from his bent and tired angle on the stairs up to Thorin and Fili, whose looks told him that it wasn't his fault. Kili found little comfort in their faces and kept his head down in shame as more Laketown guards flooded into the armory and grabbed him by the hair, shoving and pushing him and the company towards the Master's abode. The entire populace had awoken from their beds in time to follow the mob that was swarming around the dwarves. Kili found himself heavily leaning on Fili's shoulder, without remembering how he'd gotten there. Thorin's voice rang through the cold winter air, chilling Kili until he felt like ice, and that the only way he would ever find warmth again was to sit in the dragon's belly.

Fili admired this side of his uncle. The diplomatic king behind the gruff warrior prince, who fought and defended with his words instead of steel and iron. Their previous host, the bargeman argued against the dwarves, but was silenced in the wake of Thorin's reply. The crowds cheered and Fili grinned down at his boots. Kili cringed at the noise and light, his head pounding. They were given their own place to stay and Kili could not make the stairs up to the second floor of the house and slept on a window seat. The other dwarves made merry, ate, drank, and sang long into the night while Kili slept by that window. The next morning, the company of Thorin Oakensheild suited up to reclaim Erebor.

"We're finally going." Fili said, tightening his breast plate.

"How long have we waited?" Kili asked, filling his quiver with arrows.

"Over eighty years." Fili sighed, placing his hands on his brother's shoulders. They leaned in, their foreheads touching, mentally preparing themselves for the dangers that lay ahead. "We will finally join our ancestors in the halls of our people." Fili whispered.

"And the dragon will cower before the line of Durin." Kili whispered back. They clasped each other by the shoulders and descended the steps of the Master's house. The crowds cheered as the dwarves made their way to the docks, the Master give a speech on a podium just out of their sight. The company tossed supplies into the boat and began to situate themselves within the remaining space. Kili stepped towards the boat, Thorin's arm bracing him across the chest.

"Not you." He said, handing a spear to Gloin, "We must travel with speed, you will slow us down."

"What are you talking about? I'm coming with you." Kili scoffed, fearing that this wasn't a joke. Thorin shook his head. Fili looked up from his place in the boat with a look of concern on his face. Kili's joking smile fell.

"I'm going to be there when that door is opened. When we first look upon the halls of our fathers, Thorin-"

"Kili" Thorin placed his hand on the back of Kili's head, "Stay here, rest. Join us when you're healed." He said with a small smile. Thorin gave him a pat on the shoulder and turned back to the boat. Kili stepped away, leaning on a stack of crates, feeling cheated that he should have come all this way to be left behind.

"I'll stay with the lad." Oin stepped out of the boat, "My duty lies with the wounded."

"Uncle." Fili pleaded, "We grew up on tales of the Mountain, tales that you told us. You cannot take that away from him!"

"Fili." Kili said, pulling away from Oin, trying to make his brother stop speaking before he said or did something brash.

"I will carry him if I must!" Fili said forcefully, putting his foot down.

"One day, you will be King, and you will understand." Thorin tried to settle Fili's growing anger. "I cannot risk the fate of this quest for the sake of one dwarf. Not even my own kin." Kili quietly pushed Oin away, failing to convince the old man that there was nothing wrong with him, but even he couldn't believe that he was going to be alright. While Thorin's back was turned, Fili stepped onto the dock. Thorin quickly turned about and grabbed his arm like he did when Fili misbehaved as a child, wishing more than anything for his heir to be with him when he reclaimed their home. "Fili, don't be a fool. you belong with the company."

"I belong with my brother." Fili said, concluding the conversation and shrugging away from his uncle's grip, hastening to his brother, smoothing back his hair and sacrificing the chance for his name to be in songs and stories sung and told for the next hundred ages of Middle-Earth. He'd kept his promise and stayed behind to take care of his little brother. Thorin sighed and stepped into the boat, respecting Fili's loyalty to Kili. He remembered a time where he hadn't stood by Frerin and ended up holding his baby brother in his arms as he died.

"Look after each other." Thorin called as the remaining members of the company shoved off from the pier and started down the river. Bofur frantically ran up a few minutes later with a drunken and confused look on his face.

"You lads miss the boat as well?" He smiled, but his face soon fell as he noticed the severity of Kili's condition. "Right then, let's find you a place to stay." He said, pulling Kili's other arm over his shoulders. The people of Laketown went back to their busy days once the King Under the Mountain was out of sight and paid no attention to the four dwarves who hadn't accompanied their leader to Erebor. They were turned away from the Master's house, being told they had overstayed their welcome.

"I know we did not part in friendship, but I think we must seek refuge with Bard." Fili suggested, after being turned away from countless other homes. Kili moaned and stumbled, his legs no longer able to carry his weight.

"Aye." Bofur agreed, "Let's make haste." They carried Kili across Laketown until they finally arrived at the Bargeman's homestead. Bofur hammered his fist on the door. After a few moments, Bard angrily threw open the door and stuck his head out to see who was here to shame him now.

"No. I'm done with dwarves. Go away." he swung his arm to close the door. Bofur threw himself into the door jam.

"No! No! No!" Bofur drove the door back open, "No one will help us. Kili's sick." He turned to look at the young dwarf, pale as the early dawn and covered in a thick layer of sweat, Fili holding him up underneath his arms with all his strength, "He's very sick." Bofur begged, hoping the Bargeman would open his heart and his home once more. Bard growled and pulled the door open wider for them against his better judgement.

"Bring him in."

"Thank you." Fili exhaled in relief.

"Put him in the bed over by the windows. I'll see what I can find to lower his fever."

"This is no ordinary fever." Oin said as Kili screamed in agony upon being placed upon the bed, poison contracting his muscles and forcing him to convulse violently. Fili grabbed a napkin from the table and made Kili bite down. Once the wave of torment had passed, Kili pulled the rag from his mouth.

"I'm going to die, aren't I?" Kili struggled. Fili turned to his brother with a look of total and utter despair.

"No. No, little brother, you aren't going to die tonight." Fili knelt by Kili's side, holding Kili's clammy hand in his.

"The worst thing you can do is lie to a dying man, Fili." Kili said. Fili kissed his brother's knuckles.

"You are not going to die. Do you understand? I won't let you. I will march right into hell and pull you back, kicking and screaming. Nothing but the throes of battle and age will take you away from me, Kili. I. Will. Not. Let. You. Die." Fili promised. "This is just like when you had the pox when you were little. You could barely breathe and I stayed by your bedside every night until your eyes opened and your smile returned. And by our ancestors I will do the very same thing now."

"I'm sorry." Kili grit his teeth, swallowing another stab of pain in his leg.

"You've nothing to be sorry for." Fili said

"You gave up our dream to see the inside of that Mountain when it was first opened."

"That Mountain will be there for a very long time, Kili. You and I will have plenty of time to see the inside, outside, and everything in between." Fili smiled. Oin brought over a dish of cool water and a compress that he placed over Kili's burning hot forehead. Kili sighed in relief. "Now rest. It will be a long night Khâzash. I will stay with you." Fili assured his little brother and Kili nodded off into a fitful fever sleep, filled with many terrors of dragonfire.

* * *

Kili slept for most of the day, his fever never coming close to breaking. When he did stir, he was met with cool water on his head and the gentle clinking of glass jars, but an unbearable stab of pain that would send him into fits of anguish and seizing convulsions. Fili would hold down his shoulders and pray that his brother's fever would break and Kili would be able to sleep for more than an hour without pain coursing through him like a blood-red river. "Hurun, Khâzash, hurun gamut." Fili stroked his brother's hair back from his face, everytime he'd ever done so when they were children scratched at his mind.

This time was different. This time, Fili didn't see his brother jumping up and run from the house, going to climb a tree or ride Bungle through the glen. This time Kili wouldn't be leaving this bed, and there was nothing he could do about it. When Kili had fallen back to sleep, Fili decided his back was much too stiff to stay in that chair for the rest of the night."Stay here with him. I need to go clear my head. I'll be back in a moment." Fili said, releasing his brother's hand for the first time in hours. He wasn't sure he was strong enough to watch his baby brother scream and writhe and wither away to nothing. "Durin, give me strength." Fili said, closing the door behind him and leaning against the railing and taking a handful of long, haggard breaths.

"Fili!" Bofur shouted, throwing himself across Kili's heaving chest to keep him down. Fili hastened back into the house and took hold of his brother's hand again.

"Do you have any hemlock?" Oin asked Bard, who shifted through his collection of jars and bottle of healing ingredients.

"A little." The Bargeman said, holding up a vial the size of his little finger to the light.

"I only need a drop." Oin said, taking the bottle from him.

"Oin, I am no healer, put I'm pretty sure lethal poison is not going to help him." Fili said, exasperated, tired of bandage solutions that wouldn't help Kili in the slightest.

"Nonsense!" Oin bristled, "Poison fights poison and will help numb the pain." Oin gathered a single droplet of hemlock on his finger and spread it over Kili's lower lip. "That should keep him asleep for a good majority of the afternoon."

"You better be right." Fili said. Kili's fit finally passed and he could finally rest, although his fever raged on. The dwarves stayed by Kili for the rest of the day, letting the Bargeman and his family go about their business. The sun began to set and they peered through every window with a view of the Lonely Mountain to see the last light of Durin's Day to shine onto the keyhole and the door.

"Hopefully they found the door in time." Bofur said.

"Or else this will all have been for naught." Fili sighed. Once darkness had fallen, Kili began to stir, whimpering and scratching at his skin.

"Poison fights poison, eh?" Fili said quietly, placing another cold compress on Kili's scalding forehead. A thought finally popped into Bofur;s head.

"Do you have any Kingsfoil?" He asked Bard, looking from him to the bottles on the table and dried herbs hanging by the windows.

"Kingsfoil? No, it's a weed; we feed it to the pigs."

"Pigs." Bofur repeated, looking to Fili, who gave him a nod, and he dashed out the door in search of Athelas.

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AN: Hey guys! I love all of your reviews! They make me so happy and I appreciate each and every one of you! The next chapter should be out in a day to a week, it's a bit long, but the next chapter is still in progress and it's a bit of a sticky wicket trying to meld together a movie, a book, and an individual mind together when a lot of visual stuff that I'd normally analyze from the movie will now have to come from my melon of a head! Thanks for being patient as always! Lots of Dwarrow hugs! XoXo


	9. Athelas

_Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to post a new chapter! School has been nuts lately and I finally caught a break to write a short chapter! More chapters to come very, **very** soon! As always, I love your reviews and can't wait to hear your feedback._

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The ceiling shook and dust fell from the rafters, putting a thin layer of sandy powder over everything. "Da?" Sigrid looked up from her chopped vegetables.

"It came from the mountain!" Bain said, peering out the window.

Oin was out of ideas to lower Kili's fever and withdraw the poison from his system. All they could do was wait for Bofur. The house rattled again. Bard's children looked up in fear. The dragon was stirring.

"You should leave us. Take your children and go." Fili suggested, looking at Sigrid, Bain, and Little Tilda.

"And go where? There is no where to go." Bard retorted, more dust falling from above.

"Are we going to die, Da?" Tilda asked. Fili was hit hard by her innocence, as if a knife forged with his guilt was being plunged into his chest and twisted.

"No darling"

"The dragon, it's going to kill us."

Without a word, Bard reached up into the rafters and pulled a beautifully twisted dart from its place atop a structural timber, "Not if I kill it first." He said, gripping it tighter in his hand, the last piece of his ancestry, his legacy.

"A black arrow? Why didn't you tell us?" Bain stared in awe of the legendary weapon and the man wielding it.

"You didn't need to know." Bard said, pulling his long coat over his shoulders, "Stay here, I'll be back soon enough." And the Bargeman left, black arrow in hand. Kili was whimpering like a kicked whelp and it wasn't long before Fili had to cover his brother's mouth once more to keep him from crying out. Sigrid stepped out onto the scaffolding that held her home above the water, escaping from the noise, and searching for her father, who'd been gone for longer than she had expected. Oin looked up curiously at the ceiling at a mysterious thumping on the roof. Sigrid was backing towards the door when an Orc landed in a crouch a few feet away. Sigrid screamed and backed into the house, desperately trying to close the door. Fili's head snapped up and his defense instincts took over.

Another orc crashed in through the ceiling, and another through the door. Oin tossed a string of copper pots at one while Fili tackled the other and another two came in through the ceilings and walls. Kili sat up, confused and delirious. Sigrid wrestled with the door orc and was pushed over a bench and fell underneath the table. Another orc crashed through the rafters. Tilda squeaked and threw a dish, hitting the orc in its flat-nosed face. Sigrid pulled her sister underneath the table with her while Bain threw everything within his reach at another hissing beast. It seemed as if the sky was raining Bolg's cronies that assaulted the dwarves and children alike, hunting for Thorin Oakensheild.

They were outnumbered and outmatched, and an Orc had flipped over the table Sigrid and Tilda were huddled beneath. An orkish scream was heard as Tauriel pushed her way into the house, slaying the assailants with swift and skillful grace. Oin crawled in front of the human sisters to protect them, swinging his walking stick at his foes. Legolas dropped from and orc-made hole and proceeded to kill and make it look like an art. An orc jumped at Kili and he screamed, kicking out with his good leg and teetering off the bed and onto the floor. Another ally of Bolg swung at Bain. Fili grabbed the human boy. "Get down!" He said, shielding him with his body and pulling him away from the knife's path. Kili grabbed a knife and plunged it into his assailant's chest, falling down the steps and releasing another tortured cry. Tauriel looked down on him, not realizing how badly the poisoned arrow had affected him. The remaining Orc's fell back, following Bolg's command.

"You killed them all." Bain looked around, unable to process the violence.

"There are more, Tauriel." Legolas stepped out onto the scaffolding.

"Tauriel." The elf prince repeated, bidding her to follow in pursuit of the orcs. She took a few steps towards the door. Oin was kneeling by Kili, who was now writhing in indescribable anguish. The healer grabbed the elf's arm.

"We are losing him!" He said, his voice and eyes pleading with her. She strode over to the door and looked out after Legolas, who numbly navigated his way through the town. Kili grit his teeth, trying to make the pain go away. Tauriel looked from the dwarf prince, then back out to the town. Bofur dashed up the wooden steps, Kingsfoil in hand.

"Athelas." Tauriel said quietly, taking the plant from Bofur. The dwarf looked fearfully at her.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

Tauriel gripped the weed tightly, and gave a little laugh, "I'm going to save him."

* * *

"Hold him down." Tauriel said sternly. The dwarves scrambled to keep Kili from kicking out or curling in. His screams were static in Tauriel's ears. She took the bowl of crushed Athelas and warm water and placed it on the table where Kili was strapped down by everyone's hands. Fili held his brother's shoulders. He looked at Tauriel, his entire world was in her hands. She grabbed Kili's leg and looked at the arrow wound. Kili howled as she pressed the handful of Kingsfoil onto the site, beginning to speak in her own tongue. Kili's vision was fading in and out of darkness, and when she spoke, she seemed to light up the room. She was glowing, a beckon in the growing night. Kili's cries ceased, and he simply watched her watching him. This could not be the beautiful elf-maid Tauriel. She was in Mirkwood, fulfilling her duties as captain of Thranduil's guard. This elf was also fiercely beautiful, but there was no way that it was the Silvan elf Kili had fallen for in the dungeons just a few days ago.

Tauriel found a clean strip of cloth and began tying it around Kili's leg. Fili finally let go of his brother to wash orc blood off of his hands. Oin sidestepped behind him, "I hear tell of the wonders of elvish medicine. That was a privilege to witness." Fili kept an eye on Kili whilst he grabbed a dead orc and dragged the body out the door and tossed it over the railing.

"Tauriel..." Kili managed weakly. The Silvan elf finished binding Kili's leg and looked into his eyes.

"Lie still." She gave him a small smile.

"You cannot be her." Kili squinted at her, his voice a hoarse whisper. Tauriel froze and stared at the wall in front of her. "She is far away." Kili continued, "Sh-she is far far away from me." Kili stared up through a hole in the ceiling, seeing the night sky, "She walks in starlight in another world." Kili closed his eyes, the thought bringing him pure bliss. Tauriel looked upon the dwarf with pitiful affection. "It was just a dream." Kili's eyebrows pulled in. Tauriel gazed down at the flicker of movement Kili's fingers made as he reached for her slender hand. His fingers skimmed across her knuckles. Kili looked at his own hand, then leaned back, his fingers interlocking with Tauriel's, "Do you think she could have loved me?" Kili's breath shuddered and his eyes closed with exhaustion. Tauriel keep her fingers in his, not wanting to break away from the sleeping dwarf-prince, whom she found with a little introspection, was someone she could spend the rest of her immortal life with.


End file.
